WhenToBird

Spizelloides arborea · Passerellidae

When Do American Tree Sparrows Arrive in Maine?

Adult American Tree Sparrow
Photo: Michael, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

American Tree Sparrows are winter birds in Maine: the first arrive in late October, they are common by the second week of November, peak in mid December (10% of checklists), and most are gone by early April.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 22-31late October
Common byNov 8-14the second week of November
PeakDec 15-21mid December
Most gone byApr 1-7early April

Best: mid December. First arrivals late October; most are gone by early April. Peak: on about 10% of Maine checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

Darker months: more checklists report it. Outlined: peak month.

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 9.2% of 15499 checklistsJan 8-14: 8.7% of 11141 checklistsJan 15-21: 9.6% of 10729 checklistsJan 22-31: 9.5% of 15084 checklistsFeb 1-7: 9.2% of 9403 checklistsFeb 8-14: 8.6% of 11268 checklistsFeb 15-21: 7.9% of 14061 checklistsFeb 22-28: 7.2% of 9977 checklistsMar 1-7: 6.9% of 9649 checklistsMar 8-14: 7.4% of 11781 checklistsMar 15-21: 6.1% of 11613 checklistsMar 22-31: 6.6% of 17798 checklistsApr 1-7: 5.2% of 14638 checklistsApr 8-14: 3.8% of 16511 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.0% of 17164 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.0% of 22602 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 22556 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 27842 checklistsMay 15-21: 0% of 27748 checklistsMay 22-31: 0% of 38715 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 26916 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 23737 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 22733 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 28248 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 20290 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 18534 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 17319 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 22815 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 15004 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 14603 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 14972 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 19813 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 14567 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 14520 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 14339 checklistsSep 22-30: 0% of 16879 checklistsOct 1-7: 0% of 12959 checklistsOct 8-14: 0% of 13168 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 11184 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.5% of 13717 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.8% of 9823 checklistsNov 8-14: 7.1% of 9007 checklistsNov 15-21: 9.4% of 8528 checklistsNov 22-30: 7.8% of 10228 checklistsDec 1-7: 8.9% of 7505 checklistsDec 8-14: 11% of 7982 checklistsDec 15-21: 10% of 10455 checklistsDec 22-31: 9.8% of 14285 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Frequency is the share of complete checklists in Maine that listed the bird, 2016–2025. It is not a head count, and it follows where and when people go birding. How to read it.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
today
Second week of November

Each county is shaded by the share of complete checklists there that listed the bird, blended with the weeks either side. Darker is more often. It follows where people watch birds, not how many birds there are. How to read it.

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Where in Maine

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Kennebec CountyBest early February · 607 checklists that week, 48,185 in all23%
  2. Waldo CountyBest late December · 604 checklists that week, 33,433 in all21%
  3. Somerset CountyBest the second week of December · 58 checklists that week, 12,202 in all21%
  4. Androscoggin CountyBest late January · 390 checklists that week, 16,955 in all20%
  5. Aroostook CountyBest the second week of February · 122 checklists that week, 16,817 in all16%
  6. Penobscot CountyBest late January · 1119 checklists that week, 56,895 in all14%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Wharton PointCumberland County, best mid December · 21 checklists that week, 2,229 in all76%
  2. Gisland Farm Audubon CenterCumberland County, best the second week of December · 56 checklists that week, 4,957 in all64%
  3. Great Salt Bay FarmLincoln County, best early December · 21 checklists that week, 1,776 in all63%
  4. Knights CornerWaldo County, best mid March · 25 checklists that week, 779 in all57%
  5. Emmon's Preserve, Gravelly Brook Rd.York County, best the second week of January · 20 checklists that week, 389 in all56%

Busy spots report more of everything; compare the checklist counts before you drive anywhere.

Best time of day

In Maine, the American Tree Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (4.1% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (510) to judge1 am: too few checklists (517) to judge2 am: too few checklists (581) to judge3 am: too few checklists (3242) to judge4 am: too few checklists (7221) to judge5 am: 0.2% of 19895 checklists6 am: 2.3% of 54578 checklists7 am: 4.4% of 92775 checklists8 am: 3.9% of 86962 checklists9 am: 3.1% of 78989 checklists10 am: 2.8% of 70954 checklists11 am: 2.8% of 59331 checklists12 pm: 2.8% of 50943 checklists1 pm: 2.8% of 49775 checklists2 pm: 2.7% of 49001 checklists3 pm: 2.3% of 43252 checklists4 pm: 1.2% of 33413 checklists5 pm: 0.7% of 25547 checklists6 pm: 0.5% of 18309 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (14287) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (5336) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2253) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1518) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (720) to judge12a3a6a9a12p3p6p9p
Share of checklists started in each local hour that reported it. It reflects when people go birding as well as when birds are active. Grey hours have too few checklists (under 2% of the state’s, or under 200) to judge.
Week-by-week table
MonthDays 1-78-1415-2122-end
January9.2%8.7%9.6%9.5%
February9.2%8.6%7.9%7.2%
March6.9%7.4%6.1%6.6%
April5.2%3.8%2.0%1.0%
May0.1%0.1%0%0%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0%0%
October0%0%0.1%1.5%
November3.8%7.1%9.4%7.8%
December8.9%11%10%9.8%

Neighboring states

  • New Hampshire: arrives late October, in the same week than Maine
  • Massachusetts: arrives early November, 1 week later than Maine
  • Vermont: arrives late October, in the same week than Maine
  • Rhode Island: arrives the second week of November, 2 weeks later than Maine

Common questions

When do American Tree Sparrows arrive in Maine?
American Tree Sparrows are winter birds in Maine: the first arrive in late October, they are common by the second week of November, peak in mid December (10% of checklists), and most are gone by early April.
When do American Tree Sparrows leave Maine?
Most American Tree Sparrows have left Maine by early April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid April.
When is the best time to see a American Tree Sparrow in Maine?
The American Tree Sparrow is reported most often in mid December, on about 10% of Maine checklists.
Where in Maine are American Tree Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Kennebec County, Waldo County, and Somerset County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Tree Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).