WhenToBird

Passerella iliaca · Passerellidae

When Do Fox Sparrows Arrive in Idaho?

Adult Fox Sparrow
Photo: Kevin Krebs, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Fox Sparrows arrive in Idaho in the second week of April, peak in early July (3.2% of checklists), and most are gone by early August.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 8-14the second week of April
Common byApr 8-14the second week of April
PeakJul 1-7early July
Most gone byAug 1-7early August

Best: early July. First arrivals the second week of April; most are gone by early August. Peak: on about 3.2% of Idaho checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octrare
  11. Novrare
  12. Decrare

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

0%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 9357 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 6408 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 6358 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 8601 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 5611 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 6090 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 7973 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 5866 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.1% of 6144 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 6456 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.3% of 6786 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.3% of 9539 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.0% of 7202 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.4% of 7608 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.4% of 8069 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.4% of 10973 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.2% of 9481 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.5% of 11318 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.6% of 9141 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.1% of 13984 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.6% of 8897 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.8% of 8504 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.8% of 8078 checklistsJun 22-30: 3.5% of 9665 checklistsJul 1-7: 3.2% of 7144 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.8% of 6557 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.1% of 6430 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.4% of 8696 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.6% of 5896 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.6% of 5643 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.5% of 6151 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.3% of 7863 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.5% of 5769 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.4% of 5646 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.6% of 5460 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.5% of 6363 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.5% of 4980 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.3% of 5096 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.2% of 4878 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.2% of 6426 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.2% of 4822 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.2% of 4999 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.4% of 4601 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.2% of 6027 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 4180 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 4775 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 6522 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% of 7792 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 Idaho 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 Idaho

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Boise CountyBest early July · 282 checklists that week, 6,761 in all15%
  2. Idaho CountyBest late June · 262 checklists that week, 3,961 in all12%
  3. Clearwater CountyBest late June · 79 checklists that week, 1,909 in all10%
  4. Teton CountyBest late June · 154 checklists that week, 6,406 in all10%
  5. Twin Falls CountyBest mid June · 358 checklists that week, 12,478 in all9.8%
  6. Bannock CountyBest the second week of June · 199 checklists that week, 8,210 in all9.6%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Caribou National ForestBannock County, best late May · 22 checklists that week, 369 in all59%
  2. Bogus Basin State ParkBoise County, best early July · 29 checklists that week, 339 in all43%
  3. Magic Mountain Ski Area Recreation AreaTwin Falls County, best late June · 23 checklists that week, 156 in all38%
  4. Sawtooth National Forest (Little Fork Spring)Cassia County, best the second week of June · 31 checklists that week, 406 in all29%
  5. Aldape SummitAda County, best late May · 30 checklists that week, 210 in all27%

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

Best time of day

In Idaho, the Fox Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (2.1% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%12 am: too few checklists (180) to judge1 am: too few checklists (176) to judge2 am: too few checklists (169) to judge3 am: too few checklists (164) to judge4 am: too few checklists (450) to judge5 am: too few checklists (2270) to judge6 am: 3.0% of 9122 checklists7 am: 1.7% of 22204 checklists8 am: 1.5% of 38672 checklists9 am: 1.3% of 38930 checklists10 am: 0.9% of 37338 checklists11 am: 0.9% of 33508 checklists12 pm: 0.6% of 28544 checklists1 pm: 0.6% of 25774 checklists2 pm: 0.3% of 24296 checklists3 pm: 0.3% of 21784 checklists4 pm: 0.5% of 19051 checklists5 pm: 0.4% of 14150 checklists6 pm: 0.5% of 10014 checklists7 pm: 1.0% of 7495 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (4352) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1449) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (525) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (208) 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
January0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
February0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
March0.1%0.1%0.3%0.3%
April1.0%1.4%1.4%1.4%
May1.2%1.5%1.6%2.1%
June2.6%2.8%2.8%3.5%
July3.2%2.8%2.1%1.4%
August0.6%0.6%0.5%0.3%
September0.5%0.4%0.6%0.5%
October0.5%0.3%0.2%0.2%
November0.2%0.2%0.4%0.2%
December0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • Montana: arrives early June, 7 weeks later than Idaho
  • Utah: arrives early April, 1 week earlier than Idaho
  • Oregon: arrives early September, 19 weeks later than Idaho
  • Washington: arrives the second week of September, 20 weeks later than Idaho

Common questions

When do Fox Sparrows arrive in Idaho?
Fox Sparrows arrive in Idaho in the second week of April, peak in early July (3.2% of checklists), and most are gone by early August.
When do Fox Sparrows leave Idaho?
Most Fox Sparrows have left Idaho by early August, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Fox Sparrow in Idaho?
The Fox Sparrow is reported most often in early July, on about 3.2% of Idaho checklists.
Where in Idaho are Fox Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Boise County, Idaho County, and Clearwater County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Fox Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).