WhenToBird

Strix varia · Strigidae

When Do Barred Owls Arrive in Texas?

Adult Barred Owl
Photo: David Bird, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

The Barred Owl is in Texas all year. It turns up on about 2.2% of checklists at its peak (the second week of May) and on 1.0% in its quietest week (early December).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekMay 8-14the second week of May
Quietest weekDec 1-7early December

Best: the second week of May. Here all year. Peak: on about 2.2% of Texas checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 1.0% of 66038 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.0% of 52445 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.0% of 52985 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.3% of 71020 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.4% of 52306 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.4% of 55887 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.1% of 69016 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.4% of 52998 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.4% of 50836 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.6% of 51749 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.7% of 53731 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.1% of 82049 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.8% of 65854 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.7% of 78434 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.6% of 92302 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.6% of 122878 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.2% of 74592 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.3% of 61008 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.9% of 43365 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.5% of 52736 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.5% of 31643 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.3% of 30131 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.3% of 26802 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.3% of 32822 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.4% of 27213 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.1% of 24555 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.1% of 24146 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.3% of 34536 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.4% of 25764 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.4% of 26347 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.4% of 28431 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.6% of 42838 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.7% of 35070 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.6% of 33893 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.6% of 32572 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.5% of 43771 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.7% of 34143 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.6% of 37563 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.3% of 36263 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.3% of 49170 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.2% of 43301 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.9% of 48744 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.0% of 42213 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.0% of 54455 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.0% of 40166 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.0% of 41035 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.4% of 46983 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.3% of 73015 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 Texas 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Texas

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Anderson CountyBest the second week of November · 16 checklists that week, 1,641 in all27%
  2. Milam CountyBest the second week of October · 56 checklists that week, 4,049 in all27%
  3. Refugio CountyBest the second week of February · 124 checklists that week, 3,809 in all26%
  4. Burleson CountyBest the second week of February · 160 checklists that week, 6,966 in all24%
  5. Liberty CountyBest early April · 69 checklists that week, 3,558 in all23%
  6. Camp CountyBest late April · 30 checklists that week, 939 in all21%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Colleyville Nature CenterTarrant County, best early March · 68 checklists that week, 3,241 in all70%
  2. Sparger ParkTarrant County, best the second week of April · 20 checklists that week, 498 in all53%
  3. Sulphur SpringBrazos County, best early September · 44 checklists that week, 1,001 in all46%
  4. Lions/Shelly ParkRefugio County, best the second week of February · 69 checklists that week, 980 in all45%
  5. Brazos River County ParkBrazoria County, best late January · 20 checklists that week, 112 in all42%

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

Best time of day

In Texas, the Barred Owl is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 pm (2.5% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (898) to judge1 am: too few checklists (756) to judge2 am: too few checklists (663) to judge3 am: too few checklists (741) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1537) to judge5 am: too few checklists (6113) to judge6 am: 4.1% of 74687 checklists7 am: 1.8% of 285131 checklists8 am: 1.1% of 329960 checklists9 am: 1.0% of 267889 checklists10 am: 1.0% of 218205 checklists11 am: 0.8% of 178879 checklists12 pm: 0.8% of 153722 checklists1 pm: 0.9% of 144662 checklists2 pm: 1.1% of 138578 checklists3 pm: 1.3% of 136878 checklists4 pm: 1.8% of 137550 checklists5 pm: 2.1% of 113599 checklists6 pm: 2.4% of 81743 checklists7 pm: 2.7% of 53396 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (17221) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4048) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1965) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (990) 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
January1.0%1.0%1.0%1.3%
February1.4%1.4%1.1%1.4%
March1.4%1.6%1.7%2.1%
April1.8%1.7%1.6%1.6%
May2.2%2.3%1.9%1.5%
June1.5%1.3%1.3%1.3%
July1.4%1.1%1.1%1.3%
August1.4%1.4%1.4%1.6%
September1.7%1.6%1.6%1.5%
October1.7%1.6%1.3%1.3%
November1.2%0.9%1.0%1.0%
December1.0%1.0%1.4%1.3%

Neighboring states

  • Louisiana: year-round, peaks late March
  • Oklahoma: summer visitor, peaks the second week of May
  • Arkansas: summer visitor, peaks mid April
  • Mississippi: summer visitor, peaks early April

Common questions

When do Barred Owls arrive in Texas?
The Barred Owl is in Texas all year. It turns up on about 2.2% of checklists at its peak (the second week of May) and on 1.0% in its quietest week (early December).
When do Barred Owls leave Texas?
The Barred Owl does not leave Texas: it is reported all year, from 1.0% of checklists in early December to 2.2% in the second week of May.
When is the best time to see a Barred Owl in Texas?
The Barred Owl is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 2.2% of Texas checklists.
Where in Texas are Barred Owls seen most often?
By county, Anderson County, Milam County, and Refugio County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Barred Owl (counties with at least 200 checklists).