WhenToBird

Zonotrichia querula · Passerellidae

When Do Harris's Sparrows Arrive in Texas?

Adult Harris's Sparrow
Photo: Carol Ann Vermeer, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Harris's Sparrows are winter birds in Texas: they arrive in mid November, peak in the second week of December (3.2% of checklists), and most are gone by mid March.

When to look

First arrivalsNov 15-21mid November
Common byNov 15-21mid November
PeakDec 8-14the second week of December
Most gone byMar 15-21mid March

Best: the second week of December. First arrivals mid November; most are gone by mid March. Peak: on about 3.2% of Texas checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marcommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octnot usually seen
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 3.1% of 66038 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.9% of 52445 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.9% of 52985 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.8% of 71020 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.0% of 52306 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.4% of 55887 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.6% of 69016 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.4% of 52998 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.3% of 50836 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.8% of 51749 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.4% of 53731 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.1% of 82049 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.0% of 65854 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.8% of 78434 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.6% of 92302 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.4% of 122878 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 74592 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 61008 checklistsMay 15-21: 0% of 43365 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 52736 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 31643 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 30131 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 26802 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 32822 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 27213 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 24555 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 24146 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 34536 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 25764 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 26347 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 28431 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 42838 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 35070 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 33893 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 32572 checklistsSep 22-30: 0% of 43771 checklistsOct 1-7: 0% of 34143 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 37563 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 36263 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 49170 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.2% of 43301 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.8% of 48744 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.8% of 42213 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.9% of 54455 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.2% of 40166 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.3% of 41035 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.2% of 46983 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.0% of 73015 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 Texas 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 Texas

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Montague CountyBest mid March · 16 checklists that week, 861 in all49%
  2. Burleson CountyBest the second week of December · 131 checklists that week, 6,966 in all44%
  3. Jack CountyBest the second week of January · 12 checklists that week, 812 in all39%
  4. Hemphill CountyBest late January · 12 checklists that week, 281 in all38%
  5. Bosque CountyBest mid February · 85 checklists that week, 4,653 in all37%
  6. Johnson CountyBest early December · 186 checklists that week, 11,071 in all34%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Great Trinity ForestDallas County, best the second week of December · 33 checklists that week, 1,912 in all66%
  2. Meadowmere ParkTarrant County, best early December · 28 checklists that week, 972 in all65%
  3. Lake Waco WetlandsMcLennan County, best late January · 27 checklists that week, 1,426 in all61%
  4. Granger Recreation Area (southwest)Williamson County, best early January · 32 checklists that week, 275 in all54%
  5. Arcadia Trail ParkTarrant County, best late December · 27 checklists that week, 360 in all54%

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

Best time of day

In Texas, the Harris's Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (1.6% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%12 am: too few checklists (898) to judge1 am: too few checklists (756) to judge2 am: too few checklists (663) to judge3 am: too few checklists (741) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1537) to judge5 am: too few checklists (6113) to judge6 am: 0.9% of 74687 checklists7 am: 1.6% of 285131 checklists8 am: 1.6% of 329960 checklists9 am: 1.4% of 267889 checklists10 am: 1.2% of 218205 checklists11 am: 1.1% of 178879 checklists12 pm: 1.0% of 153722 checklists1 pm: 1.1% of 144662 checklists2 pm: 1.1% of 138578 checklists3 pm: 1.2% of 136878 checklists4 pm: 1.2% of 137550 checklists5 pm: 1.0% of 113599 checklists6 pm: 0.5% of 81743 checklists7 pm: 0.3% of 53396 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (17221) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4048) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1965) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (990) 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
January3.1%2.9%2.9%2.8%
February3.0%2.4%2.6%2.4%
March2.3%1.8%1.4%1.1%
April1.0%0.8%0.6%0.4%
May0.1%0.1%0%0.1%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0%0%
October0%0.1%0.1%0.1%
November0.2%0.8%1.8%2.9%
December3.2%3.3%3.2%3.0%

Neighboring states

  • Oklahoma: arrives late October, 3 weeks earlier than Texas
  • Kansas: arrives the second week of October, 5 weeks earlier than Texas
  • Missouri: arrives late October, 3 weeks earlier than Texas
  • Nebraska: arrives late September, 7 weeks earlier than Texas

Common questions

When do Harris's Sparrows arrive in Texas?
Harris's Sparrows are winter birds in Texas: they arrive in mid November, peak in the second week of December (3.2% of checklists), and most are gone by mid March.
When do Harris's Sparrows leave Texas?
Most Harris's Sparrows have left Texas by mid March, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late March.
When is the best time to see a Harris's Sparrow in Texas?
The Harris's Sparrow is reported most often in the second week of December, on about 3.2% of Texas checklists.
Where in Texas are Harris's Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Montague County, Burleson County, and Jack County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Harris's Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).