WhenToBird

Junco hyemalis · Passerellidae

When Do Dark-eyed Juncos Arrive in Pennsylvania?

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

Dark-eyed Juncos are winter birds in Pennsylvania: the first arrive in early October, they are common by late October, peak in the second week of December (50% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of April.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 1-7early October
Common byOct 22-31late October
PeakDec 8-14the second week of December
Most gone byApr 8-14the second week of April

Best: the second week of December. First arrivals early October; most are gone by the second week of April. Peak: on about 50% of Pennsylvania checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junrare
  7. Julrare
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Seprare
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 45% of 47145 checklistsJan 8-14: 47% of 35840 checklistsJan 15-21: 50% of 35423 checklistsJan 22-31: 45% of 49126 checklistsFeb 1-7: 43% of 36366 checklistsFeb 8-14: 48% of 42248 checklistsFeb 15-21: 48% of 55888 checklistsFeb 22-28: 37% of 42050 checklistsMar 1-7: 36% of 42709 checklistsMar 8-14: 38% of 43985 checklistsMar 15-21: 39% of 44547 checklistsMar 22-31: 39% of 66940 checklistsApr 1-7: 40% of 51147 checklistsApr 8-14: 32% of 54868 checklistsApr 15-21: 18% of 57252 checklistsApr 22-30: 6.7% of 81727 checklistsMay 1-7: 3.0% of 76472 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.6% of 79341 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.3% of 61724 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.4% of 70722 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.4% of 45652 checklistsJun 8-14: 3.2% of 41810 checklistsJun 15-21: 3.3% of 38973 checklistsJun 22-30: 3.5% of 44255 checklistsJul 1-7: 4.0% of 34822 checklistsJul 8-14: 3.2% of 31104 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.8% of 29262 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.3% of 41436 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.8% of 29189 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.4% of 28840 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.3% of 29948 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.2% of 48235 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.1% of 37175 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.3% of 36527 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.5% of 37261 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.8% of 43583 checklistsOct 1-7: 4.0% of 35352 checklistsOct 8-14: 9.6% of 35560 checklistsOct 15-21: 19% of 33119 checklistsOct 22-31: 31% of 44654 checklistsNov 1-7: 42% of 32965 checklistsNov 8-14: 46% of 31305 checklistsNov 15-21: 48% of 29471 checklistsNov 22-30: 49% of 38642 checklistsDec 1-7: 49% of 28779 checklistsDec 8-14: 49% of 29486 checklistsDec 15-21: 51% of 37465 checklistsDec 22-31: 48% of 50651 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Bedford CountyBest mid January · 164 checklists that week, 11,483 in all80%
  2. Jefferson CountyBest late January · 109 checklists that week, 5,956 in all79%
  3. Lackawanna CountyBest late January · 466 checklists that week, 22,569 in all73%
  4. Cameron CountyBest mid January · 64 checklists that week, 5,057 in all73%
  5. Elk CountyBest mid November · 78 checklists that week, 6,751 in all73%
  6. Juniata CountyBest early December · 107 checklists that week, 9,807 in all72%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Woodland LakeMonroe County, best the second week of March · 22 checklists that week, 725 in all100%
  2. Hawk Mountain Sanctuary (Cobble)Berks County, best the second week of March · 27 checklists that week, 1,224 in all99%
  3. Shillington Swimming PoolBerks County, best late January · 21 checklists that week, 492 in all98%
  4. Doylestown Bike & Hike PathBucks County, best early December · 21 checklists that week, 779 in all96%
  5. KnauersBerks County, best early January · 43 checklists that week, 216 in all96%
  6. Lower LakeMonroe County, best late November · 36 checklists that week, 1,218 in all96%

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

Best time of day

In Pennsylvania, the Dark-eyed Junco is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (28% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (1558) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1136) to judge2 am: too few checklists (839) to judge3 am: too few checklists (842) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2550) to judge5 am: too few checklists (18294) to judge6 am: 15% of 92903 checklists7 am: 27% of 241233 checklists8 am: 29% of 271994 checklists9 am: 26% of 236842 checklists10 am: 24% of 199508 checklists11 am: 23% of 161893 checklists12 pm: 23% of 143945 checklists1 pm: 23% of 134352 checklists2 pm: 23% of 129692 checklists3 pm: 23% of 126132 checklists4 pm: 18% of 115055 checklists5 pm: 10% of 90719 checklists6 pm: 6.6% of 67534 checklists7 pm: 2.9% of 43004 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (13966) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (3913) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1989) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1146) 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
January45%47%50%45%
February43%48%48%37%
March36%38%39%39%
April40%32%18%6.7%
May3.0%2.6%2.3%2.4%
June2.4%3.2%3.3%3.5%
July4.0%3.2%2.8%2.3%
August1.8%1.4%1.3%1.2%
September1.1%1.3%1.5%1.8%
October4.0%9.6%19%31%
November42%46%48%49%
December49%49%51%48%

Neighboring states

  • Maryland: arrives the second week of October, 1 week later than Pennsylvania
  • District of Columbia: arrives early October, in the same week than Pennsylvania
  • Delaware: arrives the second week of October, 1 week later than Pennsylvania
  • New Jersey: arrives early October, in the same week than Pennsylvania

Common questions

When do Dark-eyed Juncos arrive in Pennsylvania?
Dark-eyed Juncos are winter birds in Pennsylvania: the first arrive in early October, they are common by late October, peak in the second week of December (50% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of April.
When do Dark-eyed Juncos leave Pennsylvania?
Most Dark-eyed Juncos have left Pennsylvania by the second week of April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late April.
When is the best time to see a Dark-eyed Junco in Pennsylvania?
The Dark-eyed Junco is reported most often in the second week of December, on about 50% of Pennsylvania checklists.
Where in Pennsylvania are Dark-eyed Juncos seen most often?
By county, Bedford County, Jefferson County, and Lackawanna County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Dark-eyed Junco (counties with at least 200 checklists).