WhenToBird

Passerella iliaca · Passerellidae

When Do Fox Sparrows Arrive in Illinois?

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

Fox Sparrows are winter birds in Illinois: the first arrive in early October, they are common by the second week of October, peak in late March (11% of checklists), and most are gone by mid April.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 1-7early October
Common byOct 8-14the second week of October
PeakMar 22-31late March
Most gone byApr 15-21mid April

Best: late March. First arrivals early October; most are gone by mid April. Peak: on about 11% of Illinois checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Seprare
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 2.3% of 29700 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.7% of 20189 checklistsJan 15-21: 4.1% of 19784 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.6% of 26641 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.5% of 20478 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.5% of 21967 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.4% of 28735 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.9% of 24223 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.1% of 26775 checklistsMar 8-14: 6.1% of 27579 checklistsMar 15-21: 8.5% of 27193 checklistsMar 22-31: 12% of 42278 checklistsApr 1-7: 13% of 34579 checklistsApr 8-14: 7.0% of 38290 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.9% of 39261 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.5% of 59584 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 60485 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 59647 checklistsMay 15-21: 0% of 43173 checklistsMay 22-31: 0% of 47913 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 31151 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 27692 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 23983 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 28448 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 21273 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 19284 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 17712 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 24500 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 18498 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 19331 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 19983 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 31892 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 26396 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 25011 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 23597 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.3% of 30638 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.5% of 23949 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.9% of 24412 checklistsOct 15-21: 9.1% of 22359 checklistsOct 22-31: 11% of 29794 checklistsNov 1-7: 11% of 21877 checklistsNov 8-14: 10% of 19742 checklistsNov 15-21: 8.1% of 18989 checklistsNov 22-30: 4.8% of 23905 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.9% of 16935 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.1% of 16687 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.0% of 20931 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.5% of 29011 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 Illinois 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 Illinois

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Wayne CountyBest the second week of December · 10 checklists that week, 394 in all40%
  2. Edwards CountyBest mid December · 12 checklists that week, 797 in all38%
  3. Massac CountyBest the second week of December · 13 checklists that week, 1,916 in all37%
  4. Pope CountyBest late November · 25 checklists that week, 1,310 in all35%
  5. Brown CountyBest mid December · 18 checklists that week, 403 in all26%
  6. Warren CountyBest mid November · 15 checklists that week, 658 in all24%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Chicago Women's Park and GardensCook County, best late March · 22 checklists that week, 555 in all71%
  2. Hawthorne Hill WoodsDuPage County, best early February · 28 checklists that week, 1,315 in all64%
  3. Emily Oaks Nature CenterCook County, best late March · 25 checklists that week, 600 in all63%
  4. Perry Farm ParkKankakee County, best late March · 26 checklists that week, 810 in all61%
  5. Skokie Lagoons (Crow Island)Cook County, best late March · 128 checklists that week, 3,351 in all59%

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

Best time of day

In Illinois, the Fox Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (3.8% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%12 am: too few checklists (484) to judge1 am: too few checklists (631) to judge2 am: too few checklists (485) to judge3 am: too few checklists (610) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2321) to judge5 am: too few checklists (23536) to judge6 am: 2.7% of 95511 checklists7 am: 3.7% of 164584 checklists8 am: 3.8% of 163654 checklists9 am: 3.5% of 141804 checklists10 am: 3.2% of 122882 checklists11 am: 2.8% of 100640 checklists12 pm: 2.8% of 89894 checklists1 pm: 2.8% of 82729 checklists2 pm: 2.6% of 79801 checklists3 pm: 2.6% of 82169 checklists4 pm: 2.6% of 75124 checklists5 pm: 2.1% of 57708 checklists6 pm: 1.3% of 41843 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (20943) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (6131) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1677) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (843) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (448) 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
January2.3%2.7%4.1%2.6%
February2.5%2.5%2.4%1.9%
March3.1%6.1%8.5%12%
April13%7.0%2.9%0.5%
May0.1%0.1%0%0%
June0.1%0%0%0%
July0%0.1%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0.1%0.3%
October1.5%3.9%9.1%11%
November11%10%8.1%4.8%
December3.9%3.1%3.0%2.5%

Neighboring states

  • Indiana: arrives the second week of October, 1 week later than Illinois
  • Wisconsin: arrives early March, 20 weeks later than Illinois
  • Michigan: arrives the second week of March, 21 weeks later than Illinois
  • Iowa: arrives early October, in the same week than Illinois

Common questions

When do Fox Sparrows arrive in Illinois?
Fox Sparrows are winter birds in Illinois: the first arrive in early October, they are common by the second week of October, peak in late March (11% of checklists), and most are gone by mid April.
When do Fox Sparrows leave Illinois?
Most Fox Sparrows have left Illinois by mid April, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Fox Sparrow in Illinois?
The Fox Sparrow is reported most often in late March, on about 11% of Illinois checklists.
Where in Illinois are Fox Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Wayne County, Edwards County, and Massac County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Fox Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).