WhenToBird

Eremophila alpestris · Alaudidae

When Do Horned Larks Arrive in Wisconsin?

Adult Horned Lark
Photo: Laura Gaudette, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Horned Larks are winter birds in Wisconsin: they arrive in the second week of December, peak in early March (6.0% of checklists), and most are gone by early July.

When to look

First arrivalsDec 8-14the second week of December
Common byDec 8-14the second week of December
PeakMar 1-7early March
Most gone byJul 1-7early July

Best: early March. First arrivals the second week of December; most are gone by early July. Peak: on about 6.0% of Wisconsin checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Augrare
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 2.3% of 27925 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.8% of 18337 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.3% of 17370 checklistsJan 22-31: 4.0% of 23777 checklistsFeb 1-7: 4.9% of 16656 checklistsFeb 8-14: 5.1% of 18286 checklistsFeb 15-21: 5.2% of 24739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 6.6% of 20113 checklistsMar 1-7: 5.6% of 24024 checklistsMar 8-14: 5.8% of 26722 checklistsMar 15-21: 4.4% of 27238 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.6% of 40171 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.9% of 34961 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.5% of 39128 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.3% of 38887 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.0% of 57231 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.4% of 55115 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.2% of 63098 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.4% of 49821 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.1% of 56796 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.8% of 33621 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.8% of 31282 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.3% of 30186 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.1% of 35128 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.1% of 27088 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.8% of 23293 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.8% of 20933 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.7% of 27595 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.6% of 19147 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.6% of 18286 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.7% of 19195 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.9% of 28229 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.6% of 22408 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.6% of 20857 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.9% of 20707 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.3% of 26469 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.8% of 21069 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.7% of 21011 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.5% of 20006 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.5% of 26362 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.4% of 18928 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.1% of 17052 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.7% of 16291 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.6% of 20564 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.1% of 15354 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.1% of 16294 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.7% of 21430 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.3% of 26314 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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Columbia CountyBest mid February · 257 checklists that week, 15,761 in all27%
  2. Lafayette CountyBest early January · 15 checklists that week, 1,911 in all21%
  3. Pierce CountyBest late February · 113 checklists that week, 7,076 in all21%
  4. Calumet CountyBest mid February · 204 checklists that week, 12,359 in all20%
  5. Clark CountyBest the second week of March · 16 checklists that week, 2,369 in all19%
  6. Chippewa CountyBest early March · 82 checklists that week, 7,933 in all19%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Story Creek Streambank Protection AreaDane County, best late April · 40 checklists that week, 535 in all63%

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

Best time of day

In Wisconsin, the Horned Lark is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (2.6% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%12 am: too few checklists (993) to judge1 am: too few checklists (844) to judge2 am: too few checklists (839) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1488) to judge4 am: too few checklists (5344) to judge5 am: 2.9% of 27016 checklists6 am: 1.9% of 83973 checklists7 am: 1.8% of 160717 checklists8 am: 1.9% of 160531 checklists9 am: 2.4% of 136968 checklists10 am: 2.6% of 119110 checklists11 am: 2.7% of 99116 checklists12 pm: 2.5% of 85078 checklists1 pm: 2.3% of 80688 checklists2 pm: 2.3% of 79140 checklists3 pm: 2.2% of 78599 checklists4 pm: 2.3% of 69767 checklists5 pm: 1.9% of 53229 checklists6 pm: 1.5% of 38769 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24396) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (10155) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4990) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2463) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1281) 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%1.8%3.3%4.0%
February4.9%5.1%5.2%6.6%
March5.6%5.8%4.4%3.6%
April2.9%2.5%2.3%2.0%
May1.4%1.2%1.4%2.1%
June2.8%2.8%2.3%2.1%
July1.1%0.8%0.8%0.7%
August0.6%0.6%0.7%0.9%
September0.6%0.6%0.9%1.3%
October1.8%1.7%1.5%1.5%
November1.4%1.1%0.7%0.6%
December1.1%1.1%1.7%1.3%

Neighboring states

  • Illinois: arrives late September, 10 weeks earlier than Wisconsin
  • Iowa: arrives early October, 9 weeks earlier than Wisconsin
  • Michigan: arrives late December, 2 weeks later than Wisconsin
  • Minnesota: arrives mid January, 5 weeks later than Wisconsin

Common questions

When do Horned Larks arrive in Wisconsin?
Horned Larks are winter birds in Wisconsin: they arrive in the second week of December, peak in early March (6.0% of checklists), and most are gone by early July.
When do Horned Larks leave Wisconsin?
Most Horned Larks have left Wisconsin by early July, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Horned Lark in Wisconsin?
The Horned Lark is reported most often in early March, on about 6.0% of Wisconsin checklists.
Where in Wisconsin are Horned Larks seen most often?
By county, Columbia County, Lafayette County, and Pierce County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Horned Lark (counties with at least 200 checklists).