WhenToBird

Spizella passerina · Passerellidae

When Do Chipping Sparrows Arrive in Arkansas?

Adult Chipping Sparrow
Photo: Shirley Zundell, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Chipping Sparrows are in Arkansas all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from mid March, peak in the second week of April (21% of checklists), and fall back by mid May. In the quietest week (late January) they are still on about 3.9% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMar 15-21mid March
PeakApr 8-14the second week of April
Fall back byMay 15-21mid May
FewestJan 22-31late January

Best: the second week of April. Here all year; numbers build from mid March and fall back by mid May. Peak: on about 21% of Arkansas checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 4.5% of 5292 checklistsJan 8-14: 4.2% of 4085 checklistsJan 15-21: 4.1% of 4531 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.8% of 6500 checklistsFeb 1-7: 4.0% of 4752 checklistsFeb 8-14: 4.8% of 5385 checklistsFeb 15-21: 4.7% of 7219 checklistsFeb 22-28: 4.0% of 4163 checklistsMar 1-7: 5.1% of 3952 checklistsMar 8-14: 7.2% of 4067 checklistsMar 15-21: 10% of 4446 checklistsMar 22-31: 17% of 6911 checklistsApr 1-7: 20% of 5422 checklistsApr 8-14: 23% of 6043 checklistsApr 15-21: 20% of 6759 checklistsApr 22-30: 18% of 10236 checklistsMay 1-7: 15% of 8243 checklistsMay 8-14: 14% of 7467 checklistsMay 15-21: 13% of 6160 checklistsMay 22-31: 13% of 7287 checklistsJun 1-7: 11% of 4884 checklistsJun 8-14: 11% of 4444 checklistsJun 15-21: 12% of 3579 checklistsJun 22-30: 12% of 3858 checklistsJul 1-7: 12% of 3042 checklistsJul 8-14: 12% of 2889 checklistsJul 15-21: 11% of 2599 checklistsJul 22-31: 11% of 3825 checklistsAug 1-7: 10% of 2951 checklistsAug 8-14: 7.7% of 2765 checklistsAug 15-21: 8.4% of 2838 checklistsAug 22-31: 6.8% of 4360 checklistsSep 1-7: 6.0% of 3573 checklistsSep 8-14: 6.7% of 3314 checklistsSep 15-21: 6.6% of 3118 checklistsSep 22-30: 7.3% of 4381 checklistsOct 1-7: 7.0% of 3640 checklistsOct 8-14: 7.7% of 4119 checklistsOct 15-21: 9.6% of 3810 checklistsOct 22-31: 12% of 4956 checklistsNov 1-7: 11% of 3704 checklistsNov 8-14: 8.9% of 3678 checklistsNov 15-21: 7.0% of 3457 checklistsNov 22-30: 4.9% of 4648 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.5% of 3390 checklistsDec 8-14: 4.0% of 3510 checklistsDec 15-21: 4.3% of 4540 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.2% of 6404 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 Arkansas 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 Arkansas

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Izard CountyBest mid September · 10 checklists that week, 788 in all69%
  2. Madison CountyBest the second week of May · 43 checklists that week, 807 in all50%
  3. Lonoke CountyBest the second week of April · 47 checklists that week, 2,474 in all48%
  4. Independence CountyBest early August · 12 checklists that week, 715 in all45%
  5. Carroll CountyBest mid April · 103 checklists that week, 3,417 in all44%
  6. Perry CountyBest mid April · 24 checklists that week, 706 in all43%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Craighead Forest ParkCraighead County, best early May · 43 checklists that week, 818 in all75%
  2. Ouachita National ForestScott County, best the second week of May · 22 checklists that week, 152 in all70%
  3. Norfork Recreation AreaBaxter County, best early May · 23 checklists that week, 381 in all60%
  4. Van Winkle Hollow SpringBenton County, best late April · 21 checklists that week, 315 in all44%
  5. Sunset LakeSaline County, best early April · 21 checklists that week, 900 in all34%
  6. Lake Sequoyah ParkWashington County, best the second week of April · 52 checklists that week, 1,719 in all33%

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

Best time of day

In Arkansas, the Chipping Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (13% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (98) to judge1 am: too few checklists (88) to judge2 am: too few checklists (95) to judge3 am: too few checklists (94) to judge4 am: too few checklists (145) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1455) to judge6 am: 15% of 10807 checklists7 am: 13% of 27761 checklists8 am: 12% of 30943 checklists9 am: 9.2% of 26975 checklists10 am: 8.8% of 21989 checklists11 am: 8.0% of 16828 checklists12 pm: 9.2% of 14069 checklists1 pm: 8.1% of 13145 checklists2 pm: 7.4% of 12780 checklists3 pm: 8.0% of 12723 checklists4 pm: 9.3% of 12500 checklists5 pm: 12% of 9576 checklists6 pm: 9.9% of 7182 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (4187) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (1314) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (245) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (122) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (75) 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
January4.5%4.2%4.1%3.8%
February4.0%4.8%4.7%4.0%
March5.1%7.2%10%17%
April20%23%20%18%
May15%14%13%13%
June11%11%12%12%
July12%12%11%11%
August10%7.7%8.4%6.8%
September6.0%6.7%6.6%7.3%
October7.0%7.7%9.6%12%
November11%8.9%7.0%4.9%
December4.5%4.0%4.3%4.2%

Neighboring states

  • Missouri: arrives mid March, in the same week than Arkansas
  • Oklahoma: arrives late August, 21 weeks later than Arkansas
  • Kansas: arrives mid March, in the same week than Arkansas
  • Mississippi: arrives mid November, 16 weeks earlier than Arkansas

Common questions

When do Chipping Sparrows arrive in Arkansas?
Chipping Sparrows are in Arkansas all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from mid March, peak in the second week of April (21% of checklists), and fall back by mid May. In the quietest week (late January) they are still on about 3.9% of checklists.
When do Chipping Sparrows leave Arkansas?
Chipping Sparrows never fully leave Arkansas: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by mid May, but some are still reported in every week, about 3.9% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Chipping Sparrow in Arkansas?
The Chipping Sparrow is reported most often in the second week of April, on about 21% of Arkansas checklists.
Where in Arkansas are Chipping Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Izard County, Madison County, and Lonoke County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Chipping Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).