WhenToBird

Spizella pallida · Passerellidae

When Do Clay-colored Sparrows Arrive in Wisconsin?

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

Clay-colored Sparrows reach Wisconsin in late April, are common by early May, peak in mid June (5.9% of checklists), and most are gone by late July.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 22-30late April
Common byMay 1-7early May
PeakJun 15-21mid June
Most gone byJul 22-31late July

Best: mid June. First arrivals late April; most are gone by late July. Peak: on about 5.9% of Wisconsin checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octrare
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 0% of 27925 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 18337 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 17370 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 23777 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 16656 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 18286 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 24739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 20113 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.1% of 24024 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 26722 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 27238 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 40171 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% of 34961 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 39128 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 38887 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.0% of 57231 checklistsMay 1-7: 4.0% of 55115 checklistsMay 8-14: 5.0% of 63098 checklistsMay 15-21: 5.1% of 49821 checklistsMay 22-31: 5.4% of 56796 checklistsJun 1-7: 5.9% of 33621 checklistsJun 8-14: 6.2% of 31282 checklistsJun 15-21: 5.5% of 30186 checklistsJun 22-30: 6.1% of 35128 checklistsJul 1-7: 5.6% of 27088 checklistsJul 8-14: 5.2% of 23293 checklistsJul 15-21: 4.9% of 20933 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.1% of 27595 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.8% of 19147 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.9% of 18286 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.8% of 19195 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.6% of 28229 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.7% of 22408 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.9% of 20857 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.9% of 20707 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.1% of 26469 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.9% of 21069 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.5% of 21011 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 20006 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 26362 checklistsNov 1-7: 0% of 18928 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 17052 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 16291 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 20564 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 15354 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 16294 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 21430 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 26314 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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Adams CountyBest the second week of June · 313 checklists that week, 5,946 in all31%
  2. St. Croix CountyBest early July · 264 checklists that week, 12,346 in all24%
  3. Pierce CountyBest the second week of July · 225 checklists that week, 7,076 in all22%
  4. Portage CountyBest mid June · 562 checklists that week, 32,201 in all22%
  5. Kewaunee CountyBest the second week of July · 134 checklists that week, 9,747 in all20%
  6. Ozaukee CountyBest late May · 1730 checklists that week, 38,294 in all18%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Holland Sand Prairie State Natural AreaLa Crosse County, best late May · 21 checklists that week, 146 in all94%
  2. Ozaukee County Waterfowl Production AreaOzaukee County, best late July · 20 checklists that week, 467 in all88%
  3. Sauk Prairie State Recreation AreaSauk County, best late June · 31 checklists that week, 596 in all87%
  4. Buena Vista Wildlife AreaPortage County, best late May · 22 checklists that week, 519 in all82%
  5. Kettle Moraine State Forest-Southern Unit (Cranby Marsh)Waukesha County, best early July · 22 checklists that week, 172 in all82%

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

Best time of day

In Wisconsin, the Clay-colored Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 am (4.9% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%12 am: too few checklists (993) to judge1 am: too few checklists (844) to judge2 am: too few checklists (839) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1488) to judge4 am: too few checklists (5344) to judge5 am: 6.5% of 27016 checklists6 am: 4.3% of 83973 checklists7 am: 2.5% of 160717 checklists8 am: 2.1% of 160531 checklists9 am: 1.9% of 136968 checklists10 am: 1.7% of 119110 checklists11 am: 1.6% of 99116 checklists12 pm: 1.3% of 85078 checklists1 pm: 1.1% of 80688 checklists2 pm: 1.0% of 79140 checklists3 pm: 1.0% of 78599 checklists4 pm: 1.1% of 69767 checklists5 pm: 1.4% of 53229 checklists6 pm: 1.7% of 38769 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24396) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (10155) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4990) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2463) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1281) 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%0.1%0.1%
February0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
March0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
April0.1%0.1%0.1%1.0%
May4.0%5.0%5.1%5.4%
June5.9%6.2%5.5%6.1%
July5.6%5.2%4.9%3.1%
August1.8%0.9%0.8%0.6%
September0.7%0.9%0.9%1.1%
October0.9%0.5%0.1%0.1%
November0%0%0%0.1%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Illinois: arrives mid April, 1 week earlier than Wisconsin
  • Iowa: arrives late April, in the same week than Wisconsin
  • Michigan: arrives early May, 1 week later than Wisconsin
  • Minnesota: arrives late April, in the same week than Wisconsin

Common questions

When do Clay-colored Sparrows arrive in Wisconsin?
Clay-colored Sparrows reach Wisconsin in late April, are common by early May, peak in mid June (5.9% of checklists), and most are gone by late July.
When do Clay-colored Sparrows leave Wisconsin?
Most Clay-colored Sparrows have left Wisconsin by late July, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of August.
When is the best time to see a Clay-colored Sparrow in Wisconsin?
The Clay-colored Sparrow is reported most often in mid June, on about 5.9% of Wisconsin checklists.
Where in Wisconsin are Clay-colored Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Adams County, St. Croix County, and Pierce County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Clay-colored Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).