WhenToBird

Passer domesticus · Passeridae

When Do House Sparrows Arrive in Iowa?

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

The House Sparrow is in Iowa all year. It turns up on about 42% of checklists at its peak (the second week of July) and on 23% 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 42% of Iowa checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 35% of 5551 checklistsJan 8-14: 36% of 3498 checklistsJan 15-21: 34% of 3803 checklistsJan 22-31: 35% of 4807 checklistsFeb 1-7: 35% of 3613 checklistsFeb 8-14: 40% of 4173 checklistsFeb 15-21: 43% of 5796 checklistsFeb 22-28: 36% of 4394 checklistsMar 1-7: 33% of 5295 checklistsMar 8-14: 31% of 5679 checklistsMar 15-21: 30% of 5418 checklistsMar 22-31: 30% of 8613 checklistsApr 1-7: 29% of 6970 checklistsApr 8-14: 30% of 7511 checklistsApr 15-21: 31% of 8321 checklistsApr 22-30: 32% of 11976 checklistsMay 1-7: 34% of 11725 checklistsMay 8-14: 36% of 12626 checklistsMay 15-21: 34% of 9372 checklistsMay 22-31: 35% of 10330 checklistsJun 1-7: 37% of 5472 checklistsJun 8-14: 38% of 4568 checklistsJun 15-21: 40% of 3870 checklistsJun 22-30: 40% of 4780 checklistsJul 1-7: 43% of 4201 checklistsJul 8-14: 42% of 3605 checklistsJul 15-21: 42% of 3621 checklistsJul 22-31: 40% of 5093 checklistsAug 1-7: 38% of 3931 checklistsAug 8-14: 35% of 3488 checklistsAug 15-21: 31% of 3802 checklistsAug 22-31: 27% of 6293 checklistsSep 1-7: 24% of 5328 checklistsSep 8-14: 24% of 4622 checklistsSep 15-21: 21% of 4367 checklistsSep 22-30: 25% of 6086 checklistsOct 1-7: 29% of 4708 checklistsOct 8-14: 29% of 4791 checklistsOct 15-21: 30% of 4429 checklistsOct 22-31: 29% of 5633 checklistsNov 1-7: 30% of 4090 checklistsNov 8-14: 29% of 3416 checklistsNov 15-21: 28% of 3398 checklistsNov 22-30: 30% of 4679 checklistsDec 1-7: 31% of 3442 checklistsDec 8-14: 31% of 3322 checklistsDec 15-21: 30% of 4619 checklistsDec 22-31: 35% of 5113 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 Iowa 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 Iowa

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Buchanan CountyBest early February · 26 checklists that week, 2,265 in all75%
  2. Poweshiek CountyBest the second week of July · 22 checklists that week, 1,402 in all73%
  3. Delaware CountyBest early March · 11 checklists that week, 616 in all73%
  4. Cedar CountyBest mid July · 23 checklists that week, 765 in all71%
  5. Butler CountyBest late December · 39 checklists that week, 1,570 in all69%
  6. Linn CountyBest late June · 323 checklists that week, 18,538 in all69%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Peter Melendy ParkBlack Hawk County, best the second week of May · 23 checklists that week, 621 in all88%
  2. Trestle to Trestle TrailPolk County, best late May · 20 checklists that week, 434 in all84%
  3. Gray's Lake ParkPolk County, best early May · 22 checklists that week, 406 in all80%
  4. Wickiup Hill Natural AreaLinn County, best the second week of May · 28 checklists that week, 622 in all79%
  5. Sand Lake City ParkJohnson County, best mid July · 24 checklists that week, 2,979 in all77%
  6. Swiss Valley Nature PreserveDubuque County, best early January · 26 checklists that week, 254 in all77%

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

Best time of day

In Iowa, the House Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (47% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%12 am: too few checklists (96) to judge1 am: too few checklists (99) to judge2 am: too few checklists (67) to judge3 am: too few checklists (82) to judge4 am: too few checklists (201) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1888) to judge6 am: 45% of 11313 checklists7 am: 48% of 25717 checklists8 am: 40% of 29755 checklists9 am: 33% of 28897 checklists10 am: 29% of 26343 checklists11 am: 29% of 21210 checklists12 pm: 28% of 17662 checklists1 pm: 28% of 16595 checklists2 pm: 26% of 16405 checklists3 pm: 27% of 17030 checklists4 pm: 28% of 17378 checklists5 pm: 30% of 14251 checklists6 pm: 30% of 10349 checklists7 pm: 29% of 6233 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2002) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (392) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (186) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (87) 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
January35%36%34%35%
February35%40%43%36%
March33%31%30%30%
April29%30%31%32%
May34%36%34%35%
June37%38%40%40%
July43%42%42%40%
August38%35%31%27%
September24%24%21%25%
October29%29%30%29%
November30%29%28%30%
December31%31%30%35%

Neighboring states

  • Missouri: year-round, peaks the second week of July
  • Wisconsin: year-round, peaks the second week of February
  • Minnesota: year-round, peaks the second week of July
  • Illinois: year-round, peaks mid July

Common questions

When do House Sparrows arrive in Iowa?
The House Sparrow is in Iowa all year. It turns up on about 42% of checklists at its peak (the second week of July) and on 23% in its quietest week (the second week of September).
When do House Sparrows leave Iowa?
The House Sparrow does not leave Iowa: it is reported all year, from 23% of checklists in the second week of September to 42% in the second week of July.
When is the best time to see a House Sparrow in Iowa?
The House Sparrow is reported most often in the second week of July, on about 42% of Iowa checklists.
Where in Iowa are House Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Buchanan County, Poweshiek County, and Delaware County have the highest peak reporting rates for the House Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).