WhenToBird

Spizella passerina · Passerellidae

When Do Chipping Sparrows Arrive in Ohio?

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

Chipping Sparrows reach Ohio in mid March, are common by early April, peak in mid April (32% of checklists), and most are gone by mid August.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 15-21mid March
Common byApr 1-7early April
PeakApr 15-21mid April
Most gone byAug 15-21mid August

Best: mid April. First arrivals mid March; most are gone by mid August. Peak: on about 32% of Ohio checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novrare
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 0.2% of 46637 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.3% of 31056 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.2% of 30129 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.3% of 38665 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.2% of 27203 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.3% of 30626 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.2% of 40705 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.2% of 31391 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.2% of 32914 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.6% of 33973 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.4% of 33678 checklistsMar 22-31: 6.1% of 49889 checklistsApr 1-7: 16% of 41225 checklistsApr 8-14: 27% of 47174 checklistsApr 15-21: 33% of 47017 checklistsApr 22-30: 35% of 73055 checklistsMay 1-7: 29% of 80637 checklistsMay 8-14: 21% of 102552 checklistsMay 15-21: 23% of 64582 checklistsMay 22-31: 26% of 52766 checklistsJun 1-7: 27% of 29279 checklistsJun 8-14: 28% of 25773 checklistsJun 15-21: 29% of 23163 checklistsJun 22-30: 28% of 27794 checklistsJul 1-7: 27% of 23334 checklistsJul 8-14: 27% of 22147 checklistsJul 15-21: 25% of 20998 checklistsJul 22-31: 23% of 29749 checklistsAug 1-7: 19% of 22899 checklistsAug 8-14: 15% of 21972 checklistsAug 15-21: 12% of 22215 checklistsAug 22-31: 10% of 35087 checklistsSep 1-7: 9.3% of 29148 checklistsSep 8-14: 8.5% of 28042 checklistsSep 15-21: 8.2% of 26751 checklistsSep 22-30: 8.7% of 32398 checklistsOct 1-7: 10% of 26209 checklistsOct 8-14: 11% of 26809 checklistsOct 15-21: 9.3% of 23504 checklistsOct 22-31: 7.6% of 33269 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.5% of 25563 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.6% of 23810 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.9% of 22127 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.7% of 29449 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.4% of 22370 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.2% of 21581 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.3% of 24232 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.2% 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. Ross CountyBest late April · 191 checklists that week, 3,213 in all61%
  2. Monroe CountyBest the second week of April · 48 checklists that week, 1,141 in all59%
  3. Auglaize CountyBest late April · 69 checklists that week, 2,068 in all56%
  4. Clinton CountyBest late April · 297 checklists that week, 9,695 in all54%
  5. Carroll CountyBest the second week of June · 60 checklists that week, 2,027 in all53%
  6. Defiance CountyBest early May · 56 checklists that week, 1,801 in all53%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Clear Fork Reservoir (west 2)Morrow County, best early May · 20 checklists that week, 415 in all89%
  2. Woodland MoundHamilton County, best late April · 26 checklists that week, 441 in all89%

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

Best time of day

In Ohio, the Chipping Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (24% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%40%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: 30% of 43093 checklists7 am: 22% of 142017 checklists8 am: 16% of 205296 checklists9 am: 14% of 196322 checklists10 am: 12% of 170882 checklists11 am: 11% of 144567 checklists12 pm: 11% of 126551 checklists1 pm: 10% of 117855 checklists2 pm: 9.4% of 112869 checklists3 pm: 9.4% of 109786 checklists4 pm: 10% of 103116 checklists5 pm: 13% of 78409 checklists6 pm: 16% of 56785 checklists7 pm: 17% 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
January0.2%0.3%0.2%0.3%
February0.2%0.3%0.2%0.2%
March0.2%0.6%1.4%6.1%
April16%27%33%35%
May29%21%23%26%
June27%28%29%28%
July27%27%25%23%
August19%15%12%10%
September9.3%8.5%8.2%8.7%
October10%11%9.3%7.6%
November3.5%1.6%0.9%0.7%
December0.4%0.2%0.3%0.2%

Neighboring states

  • West Virginia: arrives mid March, in the same week than Ohio
  • Indiana: arrives mid March, in the same week than Ohio
  • Michigan: arrives early April, 2 weeks later than Ohio
  • Kentucky: arrives early March, 2 weeks earlier than Ohio

Common questions

When do Chipping Sparrows arrive in Ohio?
Chipping Sparrows reach Ohio in mid March, are common by early April, peak in mid April (32% of checklists), and most are gone by mid August.
When do Chipping Sparrows leave Ohio?
Most Chipping Sparrows have left Ohio by mid August, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early November.
When is the best time to see a Chipping Sparrow in Ohio?
The Chipping Sparrow is reported most often in mid April, on about 32% of Ohio checklists.
Where in Ohio are Chipping Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Ross County, Monroe County, and Auglaize County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Chipping Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).