WhenToBird

Passerella iliaca · Passerellidae

When Do Fox Sparrows Arrive in Nevada?

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

Fox Sparrows reach Nevada in the second week of April, are common by mid May, peak in early July (6.9% of checklists), and most are gone by late July.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 8-14the second week of April
Common byMay 15-21mid May
PeakJul 1-7early July
Most gone byJul 22-31late July

Best: early July. First arrivals the second week of April; most are gone by late July. Peak: on about 6.9% of Nevada checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febrare
  3. Marrare
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novrare
  12. Decrare

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 0.7% of 5121 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.5% of 3908 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.4% of 4000 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.3% of 4991 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.5% of 3377 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.3% of 3747 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.4% of 4852 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.4% of 3712 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.5% of 3745 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.6% of 3763 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.5% of 4188 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.5% of 6027 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.9% of 4679 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.1% of 4609 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.0% of 4709 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.2% of 6984 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.5% of 5702 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.6% of 5928 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.5% of 5353 checklistsMay 22-31: 3.4% of 7352 checklistsJun 1-7: 4.6% of 4360 checklistsJun 8-14: 5.7% of 4183 checklistsJun 15-21: 6.6% of 3751 checklistsJun 22-30: 6.7% of 4126 checklistsJul 1-7: 7.1% of 3231 checklistsJul 8-14: 6.7% of 3024 checklistsJul 15-21: 5.1% of 2967 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.7% of 4212 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.9% of 2828 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.4% of 3036 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.3% of 3076 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.1% of 4345 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.9% of 3369 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.0% of 3728 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.1% of 3535 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.6% of 5028 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.9% of 3976 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.0% of 3781 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.8% of 3577 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.4% of 4986 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.6% of 3592 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.9% of 3685 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.3% of 3399 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.4% of 4544 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.5% of 3162 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.5% of 3191 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.4% of 3615 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.5% of 5101 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 Nevada 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 Nevada

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Elko CountyBest the second week of June · 311 checklists that week, 8,844 in all16%
  2. Washoe CountyBest early July · 803 checklists that week, 53,497 in all15%
  3. Carson CityBest late June · 194 checklists that week, 6,992 in all14%
  4. Douglas CountyBest the second week of July · 119 checklists that week, 7,476 in all14%
  5. Humboldt CountyBest early July · 64 checklists that week, 2,523 in all11%
  6. Esmeralda CountyBest early October · 98 checklists that week, 2,275 in all8.2%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Tamarack LakeWashoe County, best early June · 20 checklists that week, 556 in all63%
  2. Island LakeElko County, best early July · 21 checklists that week, 340 in all41%
  3. Spooner LakeDouglas County, best early June · 24 checklists that week, 634 in all23%
  4. Island Lake (southeast)Elko County, best mid July · 20 checklists that week, 138 in all20%
  5. Thomas CanyonElko County, best early July · 25 checklists that week, 226 in all19%
  6. Incline Lake (historical)Washoe County, best late July · 26 checklists that week, 261 in all16%

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

Best time of day

In Nevada, the Fox Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 am (2.4% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%12 am: too few checklists (114) to judge1 am: too few checklists (99) to judge2 am: too few checklists (71) to judge3 am: too few checklists (108) to judge4 am: too few checklists (459) to judge5 am: 3.8% of 4313 checklists6 am: 2.1% of 17070 checklists7 am: 1.7% of 27389 checklists8 am: 1.9% of 24858 checklists9 am: 2.0% of 22012 checklists10 am: 1.6% of 19284 checklists11 am: 1.2% of 15592 checklists12 pm: 1.2% of 12432 checklists1 pm: 1.1% of 11386 checklists2 pm: 0.9% of 11262 checklists3 pm: 1.1% of 10721 checklists4 pm: 1.3% of 9090 checklists5 pm: 1.6% of 6397 checklists6 pm: 2.9% of 5012 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (3026) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (905) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (271) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (164) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (120) 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%0.5%0.4%0.3%
February0.5%0.3%0.4%0.4%
March0.5%0.6%0.5%0.5%
April0.9%1.1%1.0%1.2%
May1.5%2.6%2.5%3.4%
June4.6%5.7%6.6%6.7%
July7.1%6.7%5.1%2.7%
August1.9%1.4%1.3%1.1%
September0.9%1.0%1.1%1.6%
October1.9%1.0%0.8%0.4%
November0.6%0.9%0.3%0.4%
December0.5%0.5%0.4%0.5%

Neighboring states

  • California: arrives the second week of September, 20 weeks later than Nevada
  • Utah: arrives early April, 1 week earlier than Nevada
  • Idaho: arrives the second week of April, in the same week than Nevada
  • Oregon: arrives early September, 19 weeks later than Nevada

Common questions

When do Fox Sparrows arrive in Nevada?
Fox Sparrows reach Nevada in the second week of April, are common by mid May, peak in early July (6.9% of checklists), and most are gone by late July.
When do Fox Sparrows leave Nevada?
Most Fox Sparrows have left Nevada by late July, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late August.
When is the best time to see a Fox Sparrow in Nevada?
The Fox Sparrow is reported most often in early July, on about 6.9% of Nevada checklists.
Where in Nevada are Fox Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Elko County, Washoe County, and Carson City have the highest peak reporting rates for the Fox Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).