WhenToBird

Passerella iliaca · Passerellidae

When Do Fox Sparrows Arrive in Nebraska?

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

Fox Sparrows are winter birds in Nebraska: they arrive in early October, peak in early November (5.0% of checklists), and most are gone by mid April.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 1-7early October
Common byOct 1-7early October
PeakNov 1-7early November
Most gone byApr 15-21mid April

Best: early November. First arrivals early October; most are gone by mid April. Peak: on about 5.0% of Nebraska 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. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 0.7% of 4210 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.9% of 2891 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.0% of 2685 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.0% of 3834 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.6% of 2803 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.0% of 3134 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.0% of 4508 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.5% of 3238 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.3% of 3862 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.7% of 4894 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.6% of 5862 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.7% of 8598 checklistsApr 1-7: 5.3% of 5530 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.9% of 5528 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.8% of 6091 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.3% of 8661 checklistsMay 1-7: 0% of 9842 checklistsMay 8-14: 0% of 10044 checklistsMay 15-21: 0% of 8863 checklistsMay 22-31: 0% of 10207 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 4922 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 4054 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 3680 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 4349 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 3277 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 2803 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 2842 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 3920 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 2981 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 2819 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 3179 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 4599 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 3958 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 3460 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 3435 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 4975 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.5% of 3611 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.5% of 3605 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.6% of 3474 checklistsOct 22-31: 6.0% of 4352 checklistsNov 1-7: 4.9% of 3119 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.4% of 2887 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.3% of 2568 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.6% of 3506 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.7% of 2453 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.5% of 2756 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.6% of 3760 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.3% of 3746 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 Nebraska 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 Nebraska

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Wayne CountyBest late October · 22 checklists that week, 1,960 in all23%
  2. Jefferson CountyBest early November · 17 checklists that week, 804 in all20%
  3. Merrick CountyBest early November · 18 checklists that week, 552 in all19%
  4. Nance CountyBest late October · 10 checklists that week, 356 in all18%
  5. Johnson CountyBest late March · 17 checklists that week, 429 in all18%
  6. Antelope CountyBest late October · 18 checklists that week, 664 in all16%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Fontenelle Forest Association Local Resource Management AreaSarpy County, best late March · 48 checklists that week, 1,623 in all46%
  2. PioneersLancaster County, best early April · 21 checklists that week, 690 in all33%
  3. Two Rivers State Recreation AreaDouglas County, best late March · 20 checklists that week, 436 in all30%
  4. Salt LakeLancaster County, best late March · 119 checklists that week, 2,553 in all27%
  5. Wehrspann Recreation AreaSarpy County, best the second week of April · 25 checklists that week, 716 in all19%

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

Best time of day

In Nebraska, the Fox Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 8 and 10 am (1.6% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%12 am: too few checklists (60) to judge1 am: too few checklists (70) to judge2 am: too few checklists (74) to judge3 am: too few checklists (97) to judge4 am: too few checklists (318) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1382) to judge6 am: 0.3% of 6945 checklists7 am: 1.1% of 19066 checklists8 am: 1.7% of 24661 checklists9 am: 1.5% of 23438 checklists10 am: 1.3% of 20424 checklists11 am: 1.3% of 16727 checklists12 pm: 1.1% of 14774 checklists1 pm: 1.2% of 14443 checklists2 pm: 1.0% of 14830 checklists3 pm: 1.0% of 14445 checklists4 pm: 1.0% of 13353 checklists5 pm: 1.0% of 10506 checklists6 pm: 0.9% of 9208 checklists7 pm: 0.4% of 6334 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2406) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (531) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (201) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (82) 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
January0.7%0.9%1.0%1.0%
February0.6%1.0%1.0%0.5%
March1.3%1.7%2.6%3.7%
April5.3%2.9%1.8%0.3%
May0%0%0%0%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0%0.1%
October0.5%2.5%3.6%6.0%
November4.9%3.4%2.3%1.6%
December1.7%1.5%1.6%1.3%

Neighboring states

  • Kansas: arrives the second week of October, 1 week later than Nebraska
  • South Dakota: arrives late September, 1 week earlier than Nebraska
  • Iowa: arrives early October, in the same week than Nebraska
  • Missouri: arrives mid October, 2 weeks later than Nebraska

Common questions

When do Fox Sparrows arrive in Nebraska?
Fox Sparrows are winter birds in Nebraska: they arrive in early October, peak in early November (5.0% of checklists), and most are gone by mid April.
When do Fox Sparrows leave Nebraska?
Most Fox Sparrows have left Nebraska by mid April, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Fox Sparrow in Nebraska?
The Fox Sparrow is reported most often in early November, on about 5.0% of Nebraska checklists.
Where in Nebraska are Fox Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Wayne County, Jefferson County, and Merrick County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Fox Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).