WhenToBird

Spizella pusilla · Passerellidae

When Do Field Sparrows Arrive in North Carolina?

Adult Field Sparrow
Photo: walkingfern, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Field Sparrows are in North Carolina all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from early March, peak in late March (9.8% of checklists), and fall back by late July. In the quietest week (mid September) they are still on about 2.0% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMar 1-7early March
PeakMar 22-31late March
Fall back byJul 22-31late July
FewestSep 15-21mid September

Best: late March. Here all year; numbers build from early March and fall back by late July. Peak: on about 9.8% of North Carolina checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 6.0% of 30085 checklistsJan 8-14: 5.7% of 22728 checklistsJan 15-21: 4.9% of 24292 checklistsJan 22-31: 5.0% of 34122 checklistsFeb 1-7: 4.6% of 26352 checklistsFeb 8-14: 4.2% of 29663 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.7% of 41515 checklistsFeb 22-28: 6.2% of 24318 checklistsMar 1-7: 6.9% of 23408 checklistsMar 8-14: 7.9% of 22658 checklistsMar 15-21: 9.1% of 22784 checklistsMar 22-31: 9.9% of 36034 checklistsApr 1-7: 10% of 28131 checklistsApr 8-14: 9.1% of 29190 checklistsApr 15-21: 8.7% of 32847 checklistsApr 22-30: 7.3% of 47966 checklistsMay 1-7: 7.0% of 37076 checklistsMay 8-14: 6.1% of 36228 checklistsMay 15-21: 6.6% of 30378 checklistsMay 22-31: 6.6% of 40237 checklistsJun 1-7: 6.7% of 27551 checklistsJun 8-14: 6.5% of 26473 checklistsJun 15-21: 7.0% of 22789 checklistsJun 22-30: 6.9% of 27615 checklistsJul 1-7: 6.6% of 20022 checklistsJul 8-14: 6.6% of 19315 checklistsJul 15-21: 6.5% of 18934 checklistsJul 22-31: 6.6% of 25600 checklistsAug 1-7: 5.3% of 17987 checklistsAug 8-14: 4.8% of 17307 checklistsAug 15-21: 4.1% of 17080 checklistsAug 22-31: 3.3% of 25844 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.4% of 20818 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.1% of 20070 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.8% of 21984 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.1% of 26979 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.2% of 22605 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.9% of 22677 checklistsOct 15-21: 4.0% of 21407 checklistsOct 22-31: 6.3% of 25927 checklistsNov 1-7: 8.0% of 18830 checklistsNov 8-14: 7.5% of 18418 checklistsNov 15-21: 7.3% of 19101 checklistsNov 22-30: 7.0% of 25709 checklistsDec 1-7: 6.6% of 18856 checklistsDec 8-14: 6.8% of 18745 checklistsDec 15-21: 7.9% of 22478 checklistsDec 22-31: 6.2% of 34796 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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Cleveland CountyBest late July · 113 checklists that week, 6,121 in all35%
  2. Halifax CountyBest the second week of July · 31 checklists that week, 2,587 in all34%
  3. Alleghany CountyBest the second week of June · 80 checklists that week, 2,311 in all33%
  4. Swain CountyBest the second week of December · 20 checklists that week, 5,669 in all31%
  5. Yadkin CountyBest late June · 45 checklists that week, 1,641 in all30%
  6. Lincoln CountyBest mid June · 37 checklists that week, 2,186 in all26%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Governors IslandSwain County, best late March · 20 checklists that week, 571 in all96%
  2. Kings Creek Bridge Wildlife Conservation AreaHenderson County, best early November · 29 checklists that week, 442 in all94%
  3. Mecklenburg County Open Space - Clark's Creek Nature PreserveMecklenburg County, best the second week of May · 64 checklists that week, 1,456 in all92%
  4. Mecklenburg County Open Space - McDowell Nature PreserveMecklenburg County, best late April · 23 checklists that week, 805 in all92%
  5. Sandy Mush Game Land (northeast)Buncombe County, best early May · 20 checklists that week, 170 in all91%
  6. Rich Mountain GapWatauga County, best the second week of May · 24 checklists that week, 220 in all87%

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

Best time of day

In North Carolina, the Field Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (8.5% of those checklists).

0%5%10%12 am: too few checklists (520) to judge1 am: too few checklists (489) to judge2 am: too few checklists (442) to judge3 am: too few checklists (544) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1621) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9671) to judge6 am: 9.5% of 50335 checklists7 am: 8.2% of 150152 checklists8 am: 8.2% of 182902 checklists9 am: 7.5% of 158933 checklists10 am: 6.1% of 128398 checklists11 am: 5.0% of 98671 checklists12 pm: 4.5% of 78640 checklists1 pm: 4.5% of 72510 checklists2 pm: 4.2% of 69179 checklists3 pm: 3.8% of 67669 checklists4 pm: 3.6% of 63964 checklists5 pm: 3.7% of 48520 checklists6 pm: 3.2% of 33196 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (19700) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (6160) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1943) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1119) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (651) 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
January6.0%5.7%4.9%5.0%
February4.6%4.2%3.7%6.2%
March6.9%7.9%9.1%9.9%
April10%9.1%8.7%7.3%
May7.0%6.1%6.6%6.6%
June6.7%6.5%7.0%6.9%
July6.6%6.6%6.5%6.6%
August5.3%4.8%4.1%3.3%
September2.4%2.1%1.8%2.1%
October2.2%2.9%4.0%6.3%
November8.0%7.5%7.3%7.0%
December6.6%6.8%7.9%6.2%

Neighboring states

  • South Carolina: arrives mid October, 18 weeks earlier than North Carolina
  • Virginia: arrives mid March, 2 weeks later than North Carolina
  • West Virginia: arrives late March, 3 weeks later than North Carolina
  • District of Columbia: arrives early October, 20 weeks earlier than North Carolina

Common questions

When do Field Sparrows arrive in North Carolina?
Field Sparrows are in North Carolina all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from early March, peak in late March (9.8% of checklists), and fall back by late July. In the quietest week (mid September) they are still on about 2.0% of checklists.
When do Field Sparrows leave North Carolina?
Field Sparrows never fully leave North Carolina: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by late July, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.0% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Field Sparrow in North Carolina?
The Field Sparrow is reported most often in late March, on about 9.8% of North Carolina checklists.
Where in North Carolina are Field Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Cleveland County, Halifax County, and Alleghany County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Field Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).