WhenToBird

Passer domesticus · Passeridae

When Do House Sparrows Arrive in Alabama?

Adult male House Sparrow
Photo: Esteban Poveda, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The House Sparrow is in Alabama all year. It turns up on about 12% of checklists at its peak (the second week of July) and on 6.6% in its quietest week (the second week of September).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekJul 8-14the second week of July
Quietest weekSep 8-14the second week of September

Best: the second week of July. Here all year. Peak: on about 12% of Alabama checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 8.1% of 8642 checklistsJan 8-14: 8.4% of 6607 checklistsJan 15-21: 8.2% of 6680 checklistsJan 22-31: 8.4% of 9008 checklistsFeb 1-7: 9.5% of 6642 checklistsFeb 8-14: 9.1% of 7568 checklistsFeb 15-21: 11% of 9929 checklistsFeb 22-28: 10% of 6490 checklistsMar 1-7: 11% of 6458 checklistsMar 8-14: 11% of 6570 checklistsMar 15-21: 9.1% of 6773 checklistsMar 22-31: 9.8% of 10830 checklistsApr 1-7: 10% of 8995 checklistsApr 8-14: 11% of 10390 checklistsApr 15-21: 12% of 12700 checklistsApr 22-30: 12% of 14225 checklistsMay 1-7: 11% of 9140 checklistsMay 8-14: 10% of 8111 checklistsMay 15-21: 11% of 6353 checklistsMay 22-31: 11% of 8318 checklistsJun 1-7: 11% of 5231 checklistsJun 8-14: 11% of 4757 checklistsJun 15-21: 12% of 4646 checklistsJun 22-30: 12% of 5740 checklistsJul 1-7: 11% of 4694 checklistsJul 8-14: 12% of 4178 checklistsJul 15-21: 12% of 4109 checklistsJul 22-31: 11% of 6000 checklistsAug 1-7: 10% of 4666 checklistsAug 8-14: 9.2% of 4468 checklistsAug 15-21: 8.0% of 4474 checklistsAug 22-31: 7.7% of 6494 checklistsSep 1-7: 5.9% of 5434 checklistsSep 8-14: 7.0% of 5216 checklistsSep 15-21: 7.1% of 5162 checklistsSep 22-30: 7.3% of 7474 checklistsOct 1-7: 7.1% of 6916 checklistsOct 8-14: 7.8% of 7332 checklistsOct 15-21: 9.1% of 6038 checklistsOct 22-31: 9.8% of 7071 checklistsNov 1-7: 10% of 5207 checklistsNov 8-14: 10% of 4883 checklistsNov 15-21: 8.8% of 5122 checklistsNov 22-30: 8.7% of 7130 checklistsDec 1-7: 8.6% of 4897 checklistsDec 8-14: 9.7% of 4738 checklistsDec 15-21: 9.1% of 5321 checklistsDec 22-31: 8.9% of 9158 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 Alabama 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 Alabama

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Houston CountyBest the second week of November · 116 checklists that week, 6,424 in all74%
  2. Etowah CountyBest mid July · 27 checklists that week, 1,492 in all43%
  3. Dallas CountyBest late March · 15 checklists that week, 608 in all39%
  4. Morgan CountyBest the second week of July · 34 checklists that week, 6,256 in all37%
  5. Lawrence CountyBest late July · 56 checklists that week, 1,969 in all33%
  6. Franklin CountyBest early July · 28 checklists that week, 1,003 in all32%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Railroad ParkJefferson County, best late April · 44 checklists that week, 438 in all95%
  2. Bayou SecondMobile County, best mid April · 142 checklists that week, 547 in all73%
  3. East End LandingMobile County, best early April · 31 checklists that week, 439 in all67%
  4. Wheeler Reservoir Retained LandLawrence County, best early July · 20 checklists that week, 841 in all66%
  5. Pelican Point (Fort Gaines)Mobile County, best the second week of April · 35 checklists that week, 408 in all59%

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

Best time of day

In Alabama, the House Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (15% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%12 am: too few checklists (109) to judge1 am: too few checklists (111) to judge2 am: too few checklists (112) to judge3 am: too few checklists (143) to judge4 am: too few checklists (303) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4125) to judge6 am: 17% of 26677 checklists7 am: 13% of 42599 checklists8 am: 9.8% of 39919 checklists9 am: 8.9% of 34699 checklists10 am: 8.4% of 28551 checklists11 am: 8.1% of 23505 checklists12 pm: 8.3% of 20345 checklists1 pm: 8.3% of 18964 checklists2 pm: 7.5% of 20110 checklists3 pm: 7.2% of 20685 checklists4 pm: 7.4% of 19041 checklists5 pm: 7.5% of 13807 checklists6 pm: 8.0% of 8507 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (3367) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (637) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (295) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (233) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (141) 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
January8.1%8.4%8.2%8.4%
February9.5%9.1%11%10%
March11%11%9.1%9.8%
April10%11%12%12%
May11%10%11%11%
June11%11%12%12%
July11%12%12%11%
August10%9.2%8.0%7.7%
September5.9%7.0%7.1%7.3%
October7.1%7.8%9.1%9.8%
November10%10%8.8%8.7%
December8.6%9.7%9.1%8.9%

Neighboring states

  • Mississippi: year-round, peaks late May
  • Georgia: year-round, peaks the second week of June
  • Tennessee: year-round, peaks early July
  • Louisiana: year-round, peaks the second week of July

Common questions

When do House Sparrows arrive in Alabama?
The House Sparrow is in Alabama all year. It turns up on about 12% of checklists at its peak (the second week of July) and on 6.6% in its quietest week (the second week of September).
When do House Sparrows leave Alabama?
The House Sparrow does not leave Alabama: it is reported all year, from 6.6% of checklists in the second week of September to 12% in the second week of July.
When is the best time to see a House Sparrow in Alabama?
The House Sparrow is reported most often in the second week of July, on about 12% of Alabama checklists.
Where in Alabama are House Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Houston County, Etowah County, and Dallas County have the highest peak reporting rates for the House Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).