WhenToBird

Junco hyemalis · Passerellidae

When Do Dark-eyed Juncos Arrive in Washington?

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

The Dark-eyed Junco is in Washington all year. It turns up on about 53% of checklists at its peak (the second week of March) and on 23% in its quietest week (mid August).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekMar 8-14the second week of March
Quietest weekAug 15-21mid August

Best: the second week of March. Here all year. Peak: on about 53% of Washington checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 45% of 41928 checklistsJan 8-14: 45% of 31152 checklistsJan 15-21: 44% of 31753 checklistsJan 22-31: 43% of 42530 checklistsFeb 1-7: 45% of 29739 checklistsFeb 8-14: 50% of 32746 checklistsFeb 15-21: 53% of 40328 checklistsFeb 22-28: 52% of 28432 checklistsMar 1-7: 52% of 30758 checklistsMar 8-14: 54% of 29368 checklistsMar 15-21: 53% of 32580 checklistsMar 22-31: 51% of 45614 checklistsApr 1-7: 48% of 33997 checklistsApr 8-14: 45% of 34729 checklistsApr 15-21: 42% of 38474 checklistsApr 22-30: 39% of 52185 checklistsMay 1-7: 37% of 44236 checklistsMay 8-14: 36% of 48708 checklistsMay 15-21: 36% of 41742 checklistsMay 22-31: 36% of 57082 checklistsJun 1-7: 35% of 39193 checklistsJun 8-14: 36% of 36042 checklistsJun 15-21: 38% of 34003 checklistsJun 22-30: 38% of 39711 checklistsJul 1-7: 38% of 31949 checklistsJul 8-14: 36% of 29086 checklistsJul 15-21: 33% of 28045 checklistsJul 22-31: 29% of 38275 checklistsAug 1-7: 26% of 28846 checklistsAug 8-14: 23% of 28036 checklistsAug 15-21: 23% of 27614 checklistsAug 22-31: 23% of 40356 checklistsSep 1-7: 24% of 31214 checklistsSep 8-14: 26% of 27795 checklistsSep 15-21: 30% of 29677 checklistsSep 22-30: 35% of 35241 checklistsOct 1-7: 41% of 28605 checklistsOct 8-14: 45% of 28655 checklistsOct 15-21: 45% of 24643 checklistsOct 22-31: 47% of 34874 checklistsNov 1-7: 48% of 25658 checklistsNov 8-14: 48% of 25700 checklistsNov 15-21: 49% of 24331 checklistsNov 22-30: 50% of 32784 checklistsDec 1-7: 50% of 24099 checklistsDec 8-14: 52% of 23339 checklistsDec 15-21: 52% of 27666 checklistsDec 22-31: 50% of 42130 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 Washington 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 Washington

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Walla Walla CountyBest mid December · 525 checklists that week, 35,829 in all70%
  2. King CountyBest mid March · 7909 checklists that week, 390,864 in all69%
  3. Whitman CountyBest the second week of December · 330 checklists that week, 18,652 in all69%
  4. Ferry CountyBest mid March · 103 checklists that week, 5,106 in all64%
  5. Yakima CountyBest mid November · 298 checklists that week, 28,504 in all64%
  6. Kitsap CountyBest mid March · 1520 checklists that week, 74,545 in all63%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. San Juan Islands National MonumentSan Juan County, best mid November · 43 checklists that week, 2,639 in all100%
  2. Jefferson ParkKing County, best late May · 23 checklists that week, 888 in all100%
  3. Spring LakeKing County, best mid October · 29 checklists that week, 729 in all100%
  4. Licton Springs ParkKing County, best early March · 24 checklists that week, 1,151 in all100%

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

Best time of day

In Washington, the Dark-eyed Junco is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (51% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%12 am: too few checklists (796) to judge1 am: too few checklists (776) to judge2 am: too few checklists (709) to judge3 am: too few checklists (901) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3221) to judge5 am: too few checklists (16576) to judge6 am: 44% of 56744 checklists7 am: 51% of 133294 checklists8 am: 51% of 184196 checklists9 am: 46% of 186303 checklists10 am: 43% of 177063 checklists11 am: 40% of 154936 checklists12 pm: 38% of 138061 checklists1 pm: 36% of 127449 checklists2 pm: 35% of 121511 checklists3 pm: 35% of 107793 checklists4 pm: 34% of 82862 checklists5 pm: 33% of 57183 checklists6 pm: 31% of 39886 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (26969) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (12427) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (3658) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1500) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (834) 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%45%44%43%
February45%50%53%52%
March52%54%53%51%
April48%45%42%39%
May37%36%36%36%
June35%36%38%38%
July38%36%33%29%
August26%23%23%23%
September24%26%30%35%
October41%45%45%47%
November48%48%49%50%
December50%52%52%50%

Neighboring states

  • Oregon: all year, most in winter, peaks the second week of December
  • Idaho: all year, most in winter, peaks the second week of December
  • Montana: all year, most in spring, peaks late March
  • Nevada: all year, most in winter, peaks the second week of December

Common questions

When do Dark-eyed Juncos arrive in Washington?
The Dark-eyed Junco is in Washington all year. It turns up on about 53% of checklists at its peak (the second week of March) and on 23% in its quietest week (mid August).
When do Dark-eyed Juncos leave Washington?
The Dark-eyed Junco does not leave Washington: it is reported all year, from 23% of checklists in mid August to 53% in the second week of March.
When is the best time to see a Dark-eyed Junco in Washington?
The Dark-eyed Junco is reported most often in the second week of March, on about 53% of Washington checklists.
Where in Washington are Dark-eyed Juncos seen most often?
By county, Walla Walla County, King County, and Whitman County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Dark-eyed Junco (counties with at least 200 checklists).