WhenToBird

Spizelloides arborea · Passerellidae

When Do American Tree Sparrows Arrive in New York?

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

American Tree Sparrows are winter birds in New York: the first arrive in late October, they are common by mid November, peak in early February (13% of checklists), and most are gone by late March.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 22-31late October
Common byNov 15-21mid November
PeakFeb 1-7early February
Most gone byMar 22-31late March

Best: early February. First arrivals late October; most are gone by late March. Peak: on about 13% of New York checklists.

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

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 9.2% of 66410 checklistsJan 8-14: 10% of 49310 checklistsJan 15-21: 11% of 49919 checklistsJan 22-31: 13% of 62513 checklistsFeb 1-7: 13% of 43526 checklistsFeb 8-14: 13% of 49753 checklistsFeb 15-21: 12% of 65147 checklistsFeb 22-28: 10% of 50173 checklistsMar 1-7: 9.6% of 50325 checklistsMar 8-14: 8.4% of 55371 checklistsMar 15-21: 7.3% of 56293 checklistsMar 22-31: 6.1% of 82677 checklistsApr 1-7: 5.0% of 65295 checklistsApr 8-14: 3.4% of 73080 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.0% of 73857 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.7% of 106093 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 102772 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 110051 checklistsMay 15-21: 0% of 94797 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 101272 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 59471 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 55497 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 51761 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 59219 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 48226 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 42315 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 40637 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 57183 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 40461 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 39880 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 41146 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 63381 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 48640 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 47882 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 49063 checklistsSep 22-30: 0% of 57906 checklistsOct 1-7: 0% of 48447 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 51901 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 46717 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.0% of 61992 checklistsNov 1-7: 2.7% of 44593 checklistsNov 8-14: 5.1% of 42566 checklistsNov 15-21: 7.0% of 39675 checklistsNov 22-30: 7.6% of 51197 checklistsDec 1-7: 9.3% of 36567 checklistsDec 8-14: 10% of 37254 checklistsDec 15-21: 11% of 43754 checklistsDec 22-31: 11% of 62470 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 New York 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 New York

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Wyoming CountyBest mid January · 130 checklists that week, 11,458 in all38%
  2. Herkimer CountyBest early February · 299 checklists that week, 20,872 in all38%
  3. Orleans CountyBest early February · 245 checklists that week, 16,706 in all38%
  4. Genesee CountyBest late January · 265 checklists that week, 17,726 in all37%
  5. Otsego CountyBest late January · 233 checklists that week, 15,810 in all35%
  6. St. Lawrence CountyBest late December · 664 checklists that week, 32,234 in all34%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Quaker PondMonroe County, best mid February · 42 checklists that week, 1,276 in all87%
  2. Devils BathtubMonroe County, best the second week of January · 40 checklists that week, 579 in all82%
  3. SalisburyHerkimer County, best late December · 37 checklists that week, 1,274 in all79%
  4. Cayuga County Real Property R LandCayuga County, best late January · 21 checklists that week, 1,019 in all73%

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

Best time of day

In New York, the American Tree Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (4.9% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (1146) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1055) to judge2 am: too few checklists (1121) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1353) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4785) to judge5 am: too few checklists (32052) to judge6 am: 2.3% of 124869 checklists7 am: 5.0% of 298506 checklists8 am: 4.9% of 337334 checklists9 am: 4.6% of 307787 checklists10 am: 4.2% of 270801 checklists11 am: 4.0% of 233238 checklists12 pm: 4.1% of 213830 checklists1 pm: 3.9% of 193321 checklists2 pm: 3.9% of 180741 checklists3 pm: 3.8% of 170348 checklists4 pm: 2.8% of 147224 checklists5 pm: 1.4% of 111962 checklists6 pm: 0.9% of 78261 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (44425) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (15648) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4795) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2454) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1378) 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%10%11%13%
February13%13%12%10%
March9.6%8.4%7.3%6.1%
April5.0%3.4%2.0%0.7%
May0.1%0.1%0%0.1%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0%0%
October0%0.1%0.1%1.0%
November2.7%5.1%7.0%7.6%
December9.3%10%11%11%

Neighboring states

  • Connecticut: arrives early November, 1 week later than New York
  • New Jersey: arrives the second week of November, 2 weeks later than New York
  • Pennsylvania: arrives the second week of November, 2 weeks later than New York
  • Vermont: arrives late October, in the same week than New York

Common questions

When do American Tree Sparrows arrive in New York?
American Tree Sparrows are winter birds in New York: the first arrive in late October, they are common by mid November, peak in early February (13% of checklists), and most are gone by late March.
When do American Tree Sparrows leave New York?
Most American Tree Sparrows have left New York by late March, 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 New York?
The American Tree Sparrow is reported most often in early February, on about 13% of New York checklists.
Where in New York are American Tree Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Wyoming County, Herkimer County, and Orleans County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Tree Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).