WhenToBird

Junco hyemalis · Passerellidae

When Do Dark-eyed Juncos Arrive in Alabama?

Adult male Dark-eyed Junco
Photo: Jimmy Dee, CC BY-SA 4.0 via iNaturalist

Dark-eyed Juncos are winter birds in Alabama: the first arrive in late October, they are common by the second week of November, peak in mid February (16% of checklists), and most are gone by late March.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 22-31late October
Common byNov 8-14the second week of November
PeakFeb 15-21mid February
Most gone byMar 22-31late March

Best: mid February. First arrivals late October; most are gone by late March. Peak: on about 16% of Alabama checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 13% of 8642 checklistsJan 8-14: 14% of 6607 checklistsJan 15-21: 16% of 6680 checklistsJan 22-31: 13% of 9008 checklistsFeb 1-7: 13% of 6642 checklistsFeb 8-14: 15% of 7568 checklistsFeb 15-21: 18% of 9929 checklistsFeb 22-28: 14% of 6490 checklistsMar 1-7: 13% of 6458 checklistsMar 8-14: 13% of 6570 checklistsMar 15-21: 11% of 6773 checklistsMar 22-31: 8.6% of 10830 checklistsApr 1-7: 3.6% of 8995 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.4% of 10390 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.7% of 12700 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.6% of 14225 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.5% of 9140 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.3% of 8111 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 6353 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 8318 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 5231 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 4757 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 4646 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 5740 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 4694 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 4178 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 4109 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 6000 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 4666 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 4468 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 4474 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 6494 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 5434 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 5216 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 5162 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 7474 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 6916 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 7332 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.7% of 6038 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.8% of 7071 checklistsNov 1-7: 6.5% of 5207 checklistsNov 8-14: 11% of 4883 checklistsNov 15-21: 12% of 5122 checklistsNov 22-30: 13% of 7130 checklistsDec 1-7: 13% of 4897 checklistsDec 8-14: 14% of 4738 checklistsDec 15-21: 14% of 5321 checklistsDec 22-31: 14% of 9158 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 Alabama 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Alabama

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Franklin CountyBest the second week of February · 24 checklists that week, 1,003 in all53%
  2. DeKalb CountyBest the second week of January · 14 checklists that week, 1,273 in all53%
  3. Winston CountyBest the second week of January · 17 checklists that week, 892 in all50%
  4. Cleburne CountyBest mid November · 15 checklists that week, 1,108 in all49%
  5. Lauderdale CountyBest the second week of December · 144 checklists that week, 7,924 in all48%
  6. Marion CountyBest mid December · 21 checklists that week, 607 in all47%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Aldridge Botanical GardensJefferson County, best late February · 25 checklists that week, 636 in all69%
  2. Wehle Nature PreserveBullock County, best early January · 34 checklists that week, 1,327 in all45%
  3. Monte Sano State ParkMadison County, best late March · 26 checklists that week, 1,590 in all41%
  4. Donald E Davis ArboretumLee County, best late February · 23 checklists that week, 478 in all37%
  5. Double Oak LakeShelby County, best late March · 21 checklists that week, 329 in all32%

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

Best time of day

In Alabama, the Dark-eyed Junco is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (7.6% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%12 am: too few checklists (109) to judge1 am: too few checklists (111) to judge2 am: too few checklists (112) to judge3 am: too few checklists (143) to judge4 am: too few checklists (303) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4125) to judge6 am: 4.8% of 26677 checklists7 am: 7.5% of 42599 checklists8 am: 7.7% of 39919 checklists9 am: 7.0% of 34699 checklists10 am: 6.3% of 28551 checklists11 am: 6.2% of 23505 checklists12 pm: 6.5% of 20345 checklists1 pm: 6.1% of 18964 checklists2 pm: 6.3% of 20110 checklists3 pm: 5.2% of 20685 checklists4 pm: 3.3% of 19041 checklists5 pm: 1.5% of 13807 checklists6 pm: 0.8% of 8507 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (3367) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (637) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (295) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (233) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (141) 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
January13%14%16%13%
February13%15%18%14%
March13%13%11%8.6%
April3.6%1.4%0.7%0.6%
May0.5%0.3%0.1%0.1%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0%0.1%
October0.1%0.1%0.7%2.8%
November6.5%11%12%13%
December13%14%14%14%

Neighboring states

  • Mississippi: arrives late October, in the same week than Alabama
  • Georgia: arrives late October, in the same week than Alabama
  • Tennessee: arrives mid October, 1 week earlier than Alabama
  • Louisiana: arrives late October, in the same week than Alabama

Common questions

When do Dark-eyed Juncos arrive in Alabama?
Dark-eyed Juncos are winter birds in Alabama: the first arrive in late October, they are common by the second week of November, peak in mid February (16% of checklists), and most are gone by late March.
When do Dark-eyed Juncos leave Alabama?
Most Dark-eyed Juncos have left Alabama by late March, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of April.
When is the best time to see a Dark-eyed Junco in Alabama?
The Dark-eyed Junco is reported most often in mid February, on about 16% of Alabama checklists.
Where in Alabama are Dark-eyed Juncos seen most often?
By county, Franklin County, DeKalb County, and Winston County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Dark-eyed Junco (counties with at least 200 checklists).