WhenToBird

Spizella passerina · Passerellidae

When Do Chipping Sparrows Arrive in Kentucky?

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

Chipping Sparrows reach Kentucky in early March, are common by mid March, peak in the second week of April (35% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 1-7early March
Common byMar 15-21mid March
PeakApr 8-14the second week of April
Most gone byNov 1-7early November

Best: the second week of April. First arrivals early March; most are gone by early November. Peak: on about 35% of Kentucky checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febrare
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decrare

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 1.7% of 6923 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.9% of 4900 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.7% of 5016 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.3% of 6611 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.1% of 4986 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.0% of 5677 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.9% of 8880 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.6% of 5567 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.1% of 5397 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.9% of 5462 checklistsMar 15-21: 9.5% of 5733 checklistsMar 22-31: 21% of 9043 checklistsApr 1-7: 32% of 6763 checklistsApr 8-14: 35% of 7498 checklistsApr 15-21: 36% of 8486 checklistsApr 22-30: 32% of 13396 checklistsMay 1-7: 28% of 10825 checklistsMay 8-14: 25% of 11495 checklistsMay 15-21: 24% of 7363 checklistsMay 22-31: 25% of 8800 checklistsJun 1-7: 23% of 5381 checklistsJun 8-14: 25% of 5244 checklistsJun 15-21: 25% of 4730 checklistsJun 22-30: 27% of 5470 checklistsJul 1-7: 26% of 4567 checklistsJul 8-14: 26% of 4287 checklistsJul 15-21: 25% of 4097 checklistsJul 22-31: 23% of 6044 checklistsAug 1-7: 20% of 4647 checklistsAug 8-14: 17% of 4256 checklistsAug 15-21: 15% of 4484 checklistsAug 22-31: 13% of 6434 checklistsSep 1-7: 11% of 5450 checklistsSep 8-14: 12% of 5157 checklistsSep 15-21: 10% of 5530 checklistsSep 22-30: 10% of 6710 checklistsOct 1-7: 12% of 5403 checklistsOct 8-14: 14% of 5943 checklistsOct 15-21: 16% of 4873 checklistsOct 22-31: 17% of 6584 checklistsNov 1-7: 13% of 5008 checklistsNov 8-14: 8.0% of 4677 checklistsNov 15-21: 4.2% of 4419 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.1% of 5933 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.9% of 4479 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.3% of 4687 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.3% of 6239 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.3% of 7976 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 Kentucky 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 Kentucky

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Spencer CountyBest the second week of April · 173 checklists that week, 7,721 in all80%
  2. Estill CountyBest mid April · 21 checklists that week, 382 in all80%
  3. Clinton CountyBest late May · 17 checklists that week, 220 in all74%
  4. Butler CountyBest the second week of April · 15 checklists that week, 267 in all72%
  5. Morgan CountyBest late July · 11 checklists that week, 282 in all64%
  6. Larue CountyBest the second week of April · 10 checklists that week, 1,047 in all63%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Central Park and ArboretumBoone County, best late June · 46 checklists that week, 1,695 in all98%
  2. Camp Nelson Civil War Heritage ParkJessamine County, best mid May · 23 checklists that week, 332 in all85%
  3. KDFWR Game FarmFranklin County, best mid April · 40 checklists that week, 1,307 in all82%
  4. Cedar LakesBullitt County, best late April · 29 checklists that week, 945 in all80%
  5. Berea College ForestMadison County, best late April · 25 checklists that week, 411 in all76%
  6. Mammoth Cave National ParkEdmonson County, best the second week of May · 35 checklists that week, 771 in all74%

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

Best time of day

In Kentucky, the Chipping Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (22% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (140) to judge1 am: too few checklists (120) to judge2 am: too few checklists (88) to judge3 am: too few checklists (95) to judge4 am: too few checklists (151) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1289) to judge6 am: 27% of 8227 checklists7 am: 20% of 24608 checklists8 am: 19% of 36577 checklists9 am: 16% of 34626 checklists10 am: 15% of 28796 checklists11 am: 13% of 22781 checklists12 pm: 13% of 19848 checklists1 pm: 12% of 19369 checklists2 pm: 12% of 19367 checklists3 pm: 12% of 19618 checklists4 pm: 12% of 19464 checklists5 pm: 16% of 16639 checklists6 pm: 17% of 12714 checklists7 pm: 18% of 8457 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (3447) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (684) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (267) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (158) 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
January1.7%1.9%1.7%1.3%
February1.1%2.0%1.9%1.6%
March2.1%3.9%9.5%21%
April32%35%36%32%
May28%25%24%25%
June23%25%25%27%
July26%26%25%23%
August20%17%15%13%
September11%12%10%10%
October12%14%16%17%
November13%8.0%4.2%3.1%
December1.9%2.3%2.3%2.3%

Neighboring states

  • Tennessee: arrives mid March, 2 weeks later than Kentucky
  • Indiana: arrives mid March, 2 weeks later than Kentucky
  • Ohio: arrives mid March, 2 weeks later than Kentucky
  • Illinois: arrives late March, 3 weeks later than Kentucky

Common questions

When do Chipping Sparrows arrive in Kentucky?
Chipping Sparrows reach Kentucky in early March, are common by mid March, peak in the second week of April (35% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.
When do Chipping Sparrows leave Kentucky?
Most Chipping Sparrows have left Kentucky by early November, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early December.
When is the best time to see a Chipping Sparrow in Kentucky?
The Chipping Sparrow is reported most often in the second week of April, on about 35% of Kentucky checklists.
Where in Kentucky are Chipping Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Spencer County, Estill County, and Clinton County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Chipping Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).