WhenToBird

Spizella pallida · Passerellidae

When Do Clay-colored Sparrows Arrive in Kansas?

Adult Clay-colored Sparrow
Photo: John Rosford, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Clay-colored Sparrows mostly pass through Kansas: they arrive in mid April, peak in early May (10% of checklists), and most are gone by mid May.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 15-21mid April
Common byApr 15-21mid April
PeakMay 1-7early May
Most gone byMay 15-21mid May

Best: early May. First arrivals mid April; most are gone by mid May. Peak: on about 10% of Kansas checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augrare
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novrare
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 0% of 8683 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 5710 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 5453 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 7868 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 5579 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 6307 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 7830 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 6124 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 6442 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 6925 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 7257 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 11527 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% of 8908 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.3% of 11070 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.6% of 11050 checklistsApr 22-30: 7.6% of 16381 checklistsMay 1-7: 14% of 15899 checklistsMay 8-14: 9.5% of 15349 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.7% of 10474 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.2% of 11264 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 6783 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 5654 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 4716 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 6232 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 5073 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 4528 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 4210 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 5986 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 4661 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 4762 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 4823 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.2% of 7214 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.2% of 5989 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.0% of 5549 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.5% of 5255 checklistsSep 22-30: 3.4% of 7370 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.4% of 5829 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.9% of 6183 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.3% of 5504 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.9% of 7289 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.2% of 5535 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 5462 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 4929 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 6627 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 4670 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 4805 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 6341 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 8186 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 Kansas 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 Kansas

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hodgeman CountyBest the second week of May · 18 checklists that week, 670 in all42%
  2. Sheridan CountyBest the second week of May · 16 checklists that week, 254 in all34%
  3. Graham CountyBest the second week of May · 13 checklists that week, 440 in all33%
  4. Ottawa CountyBest early May · 43 checklists that week, 523 in all33%
  5. Seward CountyBest the second week of May · 85 checklists that week, 566 in all32%
  6. Scott CountyBest the second week of May · 80 checklists that week, 1,780 in all31%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Ford State Fishing Lake and Wildlife AreaFord County, best early May · 32 checklists that week, 325 in all62%
  2. Cimarron National GrasslandMorton County, best the second week of May · 53 checklists that week, 495 in all54%
  3. Dr. Howard Reynolds Nature TrailsEllis County, best the second week of May · 20 checklists that week, 240 in all53%
  4. Arkalon ParkSeward County, best the second week of May · 30 checklists that week, 178 in all48%
  5. Smoky Hills Audobon Wildlife SanctuarySaline County, best early May · 25 checklists that week, 438 in all36%

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

Best time of day

In Kansas, the Clay-colored Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (3.1% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%12 am: too few checklists (150) to judge1 am: too few checklists (119) to judge2 am: too few checklists (97) to judge3 am: too few checklists (94) to judge4 am: too few checklists (124) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1459) to judge6 am: 3.4% of 12550 checklists7 am: 3.0% of 34128 checklists8 am: 2.2% of 45960 checklists9 am: 2.0% of 37806 checklists10 am: 1.7% of 32102 checklists11 am: 1.7% of 25896 checklists12 pm: 1.7% of 24203 checklists1 pm: 1.7% of 20269 checklists2 pm: 1.6% of 20772 checklists3 pm: 1.4% of 20978 checklists4 pm: 1.4% of 22094 checklists5 pm: 1.8% of 17739 checklists6 pm: 2.1% of 13963 checklists7 pm: 1.5% of 10110 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (4188) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (968) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (325) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (171) 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%0%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0%0%0%
April0.1%0.3%1.6%7.6%
May14%9.5%2.7%0.2%
June0.1%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0.1%0.2%
September1.2%2.0%2.5%3.4%
October3.4%2.9%2.3%0.9%
November0.2%0.1%0.1%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Nebraska: arrives mid April, in the same week than Kansas
  • Oklahoma: arrives the second week of April, 1 week earlier than Kansas
  • Iowa: arrives late April, 1 week later than Kansas
  • South Dakota: arrives mid April, in the same week than Kansas

Common questions

When do Clay-colored Sparrows arrive in Kansas?
Clay-colored Sparrows mostly pass through Kansas: they arrive in mid April, peak in early May (10% of checklists), and most are gone by mid May.
When do Clay-colored Sparrows leave Kansas?
Most Clay-colored Sparrows have left Kansas by mid May, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late May.
When is the best time to see a Clay-colored Sparrow in Kansas?
The Clay-colored Sparrow is reported most often in early May, on about 10% of Kansas checklists.
Where in Kansas are Clay-colored Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Hodgeman County, Sheridan County, and Graham County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Clay-colored Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).