WhenToBird

Spizelloides arborea · Passerellidae

When Do American Tree Sparrows Arrive in Ohio?

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

American Tree Sparrows are winter birds in Ohio: the first arrive in late October, they are common by the second week of November, peak in late January (17% 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
PeakJan 22-31late January
Most gone byApr 1-7early April

Best: late January. First arrivals late October; most are gone by early April. Peak: on about 17% of Ohio 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. Octrare
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 15% of 46637 checklistsJan 8-14: 16% of 31056 checklistsJan 15-21: 18% of 30129 checklistsJan 22-31: 17% of 38665 checklistsFeb 1-7: 17% of 27203 checklistsFeb 8-14: 16% of 30626 checklistsFeb 15-21: 14% of 40705 checklistsFeb 22-28: 13% of 31391 checklistsMar 1-7: 12% of 32914 checklistsMar 8-14: 12% of 33973 checklistsMar 15-21: 9.7% of 33678 checklistsMar 22-31: 8.5% of 49889 checklistsApr 1-7: 7.4% of 41225 checklistsApr 8-14: 5.1% of 47174 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.5% of 47017 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.9% of 73055 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.2% of 80637 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 102552 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 64582 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 52766 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 29279 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 25773 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 23163 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 27794 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 23334 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 22147 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 20998 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 29749 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 22899 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 21972 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 22215 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 35087 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 29148 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 28042 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 26751 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 32398 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.2% of 26209 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.4% of 26809 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.7% of 23504 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.9% of 33269 checklistsNov 1-7: 4.4% of 25563 checklistsNov 8-14: 7.7% of 23810 checklistsNov 15-21: 11% of 22127 checklistsNov 22-30: 13% of 29449 checklistsDec 1-7: 13% of 22370 checklistsDec 8-14: 14% of 21581 checklistsDec 15-21: 16% of 24232 checklistsDec 22-31: 16% of 36084 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 Ohio 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 Ohio

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Van Wert CountyBest mid January · 26 checklists that week, 2,246 in all53%
  2. Morrow CountyBest early February · 63 checklists that week, 3,725 in all47%
  3. Meigs CountyBest mid January · 33 checklists that week, 1,139 in all45%
  4. Williams CountyBest the second week of February · 41 checklists that week, 2,778 in all42%
  5. Hardin CountyBest mid January · 78 checklists that week, 4,583 in all40%
  6. Wyandot CountyBest the second week of February · 159 checklists that week, 6,235 in all38%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Grand River Wildlife AreaTrumbull County, best early February · 29 checklists that week, 1,401 in all98%
  2. AllardaleMedina County, best late January · 35 checklists that week, 369 in all88%
  3. Sandy Ridge ReservationLorain County, best late December · 77 checklists that week, 7,097 in all86%
  4. Calvins Marsh ReservoirMahoning County, best mid December · 22 checklists that week, 2,898 in all85%

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

Best time of day

In Ohio, the American Tree Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 8 and 10 am (6.5% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%12 am: too few checklists (574) to judge1 am: too few checklists (609) to judge2 am: too few checklists (466) to judge3 am: too few checklists (478) to judge4 am: too few checklists (662) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4366) to judge6 am: 1.6% of 43093 checklists7 am: 5.5% of 142017 checklists8 am: 6.6% of 205296 checklists9 am: 6.4% of 196322 checklists10 am: 6.2% of 170882 checklists11 am: 6.0% of 144567 checklists12 pm: 6.0% of 126551 checklists1 pm: 6.1% of 117855 checklists2 pm: 6.1% of 112869 checklists3 pm: 5.8% of 109786 checklists4 pm: 5.4% of 103116 checklists5 pm: 3.5% of 78409 checklists6 pm: 1.6% of 56785 checklists7 pm: 0.8% of 37923 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (14954) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2710) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (854) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (486) 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
January15%16%18%17%
February17%16%14%13%
March12%12%9.7%8.5%
April7.4%5.1%2.5%0.9%
May0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0%0.1%
October0.2%0.4%0.7%1.9%
November4.4%7.7%11%13%
December13%14%16%16%

Neighboring states

  • West Virginia: arrives mid November, 3 weeks later than Ohio
  • Indiana: arrives late October, in the same week than Ohio
  • Michigan: arrives the second week of October, 2 weeks earlier than Ohio
  • Kentucky: arrives late November, 4 weeks later than Ohio

Common questions

When do American Tree Sparrows arrive in Ohio?
American Tree Sparrows are winter birds in Ohio: the first arrive in late October, they are common by the second week of November, peak in late January (17% of checklists), and most are gone by early April.
When do American Tree Sparrows leave Ohio?
Most American Tree Sparrows have left Ohio 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 Ohio?
The American Tree Sparrow is reported most often in late January, on about 17% of Ohio checklists.
Where in Ohio are American Tree Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Van Wert County, Morrow County, and Meigs County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Tree Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).