Both species of yellowlegs are strictly migratory in this area, breeding in Alaska and Canada and wintering from the southern-most US to, especially for the Lesser Yellowlegs, South America .

This species has been recorded twice in the park (1933 and 1935), both times in Cades Cove and both times in late April or early May (Stupka 1963). Eventually, fall records can be expected in the park.

References:

Stupka, A. 1963. Notes on the Birds of Great Smoky Mountains National Park . University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville.

Gough, G. A., Sauer, J. R., Iliff, M. Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter. 1998. Version 97.1. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD.