WhenToBird

Amphispiza bilineata · Passerellidae

When Do Black-throated Sparrows Arrive in California?

Adult Black-throated Sparrow
Photo: jubileej, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Black-throated Sparrows are winter birds in California: the first arrive in late January, they are common by early February, peak in late March (1.3% of checklists), and most are gone by late July.

When to look

First arrivalsJan 22-31late January
Common byFeb 1-7early February
PeakMar 22-31late March
Most gone byJul 22-31late July

Best: late March. First arrivals late January; most are gone by late July. Peak: on about 1.3% of California checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%Jan 1-7: 0.4% of 112336 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.4% of 85518 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.4% of 86488 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.4% of 116174 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.5% of 75171 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.5% of 84467 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.6% of 105683 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.7% of 83396 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.9% of 77470 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.1% of 75180 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.3% of 80770 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.4% of 114116 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.2% of 84057 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.1% of 83692 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.1% of 89242 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.1% of 114289 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.0% of 85728 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.8% of 91984 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.0% of 75478 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.0% of 106250 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.8% of 70051 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.7% of 67485 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.6% of 66269 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.5% of 79172 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.5% of 62877 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.5% of 60328 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.5% of 59705 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.5% of 83796 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.4% of 60215 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.4% of 60172 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.4% of 59877 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.4% of 89107 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.5% of 72000 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.5% of 71228 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.6% of 76808 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.4% of 100204 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.4% of 76571 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.5% of 80874 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.4% of 74581 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.4% of 97498 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.4% of 70851 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.6% of 72431 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.5% of 66767 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.5% of 94737 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.4% of 65393 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.4% of 67449 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.4% of 83421 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.5% of 124993 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 California 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 California

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. San Bernardino CountyBest early April · 2206 checklists that week, 84,093 in all15%
  2. Riverside CountyBest late March · 4356 checklists that week, 113,541 in all11%
  3. Inyo CountyBest the second week of May · 995 checklists that week, 35,713 in all9.8%
  4. Kern CountyBest the second week of September · 772 checklists that week, 47,774 in all9.3%
  5. Mono CountyBest late May · 2083 checklists that week, 38,666 in all4.9%
  6. Lassen CountyBest the second week of June · 209 checklists that week, 8,378 in all3.8%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Bobs GapLos Angeles County, best late April · 28 checklists that week, 206 in all85%
  2. Joshua Tree National Park (Sneakeye Spring)San Bernardino County, best late March · 20 checklists that week, 348 in all83%
  3. Mojave National Preserve (Hole-in-the Wall)San Bernardino County, best late March · 22 checklists that week, 248 in all81%
  4. Joshua Tree National Park (Lost Horse Valley)Riverside County, best late April · 27 checklists that week, 740 in all81%
  5. Joshua Tree National Park (northwest)San Bernardino County, best late March · 20 checklists that week, 276 in all80%
  6. Fortynine Palms OasisSan Bernardino County, best late March · 26 checklists that week, 340 in all78%

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

Best time of day

In California, the Black-throated Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (1.1% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%12 am: too few checklists (1688) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1451) to judge2 am: too few checklists (1402) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1743) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4647) to judge5 am: too few checklists (32158) to judge6 am: 1.6% of 186053 checklists7 am: 0.9% of 444086 checklists8 am: 0.7% of 535846 checklists9 am: 0.6% of 486061 checklists10 am: 0.6% of 411130 checklists11 am: 0.5% of 325798 checklists12 pm: 0.5% of 269132 checklists1 pm: 0.5% of 244762 checklists2 pm: 0.5% of 235420 checklists3 pm: 0.5% of 232365 checklists4 pm: 0.4% of 208688 checklists5 pm: 0.5% of 146104 checklists6 pm: 0.4% of 96867 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (50942) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (14803) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5561) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (3546) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (2092) 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
January0.4%0.4%0.4%0.4%
February0.5%0.5%0.6%0.7%
March0.9%1.1%1.3%1.4%
April1.2%1.1%1.1%1.1%
May1.0%0.8%1.0%1.0%
June0.8%0.7%0.6%0.5%
July0.5%0.5%0.5%0.5%
August0.4%0.4%0.4%0.4%
September0.5%0.5%0.6%0.4%
October0.4%0.5%0.4%0.4%
November0.4%0.6%0.5%0.5%
December0.4%0.4%0.4%0.5%

Neighboring states

  • Nevada: arrives mid February, 3 weeks later than California
  • Utah: arrives late March, 8 weeks later than California
  • Arizona: year-round, peaks the second week of August
  • New Mexico: arrives early March, 5 weeks later than California

Common questions

When do Black-throated Sparrows arrive in California?
Black-throated Sparrows are winter birds in California: the first arrive in late January, they are common by early February, peak in late March (1.3% of checklists), and most are gone by late July.
When do Black-throated Sparrows leave California?
Most Black-throated Sparrows have left California by late July, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early August.
When is the best time to see a Black-throated Sparrow in California?
The Black-throated Sparrow is reported most often in late March, on about 1.3% of California checklists.
Where in California are Black-throated Sparrows seen most often?
By county, San Bernardino County, Riverside County, and Inyo County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Black-throated Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).