WhenToBird

Passer domesticus · Passeridae

When Do House Sparrows Arrive in Kansas?

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

The House Sparrow is in Kansas all year. It turns up on about 36% of checklists at its peak (the second week of July) and on 17% in its quietest week (mid September).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekJul 8-14the second week of July
Quietest weekSep 15-21mid September

Best: the second week of July. Here all year. Peak: on about 36% of Kansas 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. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 23% of 8683 checklistsJan 8-14: 27% of 5710 checklistsJan 15-21: 26% of 5453 checklistsJan 22-31: 26% of 7868 checklistsFeb 1-7: 24% of 5579 checklistsFeb 8-14: 30% of 6307 checklistsFeb 15-21: 33% of 7830 checklistsFeb 22-28: 29% of 6124 checklistsMar 1-7: 27% of 6442 checklistsMar 8-14: 26% of 6925 checklistsMar 15-21: 25% of 7257 checklistsMar 22-31: 26% of 11527 checklistsApr 1-7: 26% of 8908 checklistsApr 8-14: 25% of 11070 checklistsApr 15-21: 25% of 11050 checklistsApr 22-30: 27% of 16381 checklistsMay 1-7: 30% of 15899 checklistsMay 8-14: 30% of 15349 checklistsMay 15-21: 29% of 10474 checklistsMay 22-31: 31% of 11264 checklistsJun 1-7: 32% of 6783 checklistsJun 8-14: 35% of 5654 checklistsJun 15-21: 35% of 4716 checklistsJun 22-30: 35% of 6232 checklistsJul 1-7: 36% of 5073 checklistsJul 8-14: 37% of 4528 checklistsJul 15-21: 35% of 4210 checklistsJul 22-31: 33% of 5986 checklistsAug 1-7: 30% of 4661 checklistsAug 8-14: 27% of 4762 checklistsAug 15-21: 24% of 4823 checklistsAug 22-31: 21% of 7214 checklistsSep 1-7: 18% of 5989 checklistsSep 8-14: 18% of 5549 checklistsSep 15-21: 18% of 5255 checklistsSep 22-30: 17% of 7370 checklistsOct 1-7: 19% of 5829 checklistsOct 8-14: 21% of 6183 checklistsOct 15-21: 20% of 5504 checklistsOct 22-31: 20% of 7289 checklistsNov 1-7: 20% of 5535 checklistsNov 8-14: 20% of 5462 checklistsNov 15-21: 21% of 4929 checklistsNov 22-30: 23% of 6627 checklistsDec 1-7: 23% of 4670 checklistsDec 8-14: 24% of 4805 checklistsDec 15-21: 22% of 6341 checklistsDec 22-31: 23% of 8186 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 Kansas 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 Kansas

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Ellis CountyBest mid June · 68 checklists that week, 6,529 in all86%
  2. Thomas CountyBest the second week of July · 13 checklists that week, 680 in all79%
  3. Sherman CountyBest late June · 26 checklists that week, 1,243 in all75%
  4. Dickinson CountyBest early July · 12 checklists that week, 484 in all75%
  5. Gove CountyBest mid January · 11 checklists that week, 1,282 in all75%
  6. Stanton CountyBest late July · 10 checklists that week, 604 in all75%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Dyck Arboretum of the PlainsHarvey County, best late February · 23 checklists that week, 983 in all93%
  2. Vineyard ParkEllis County, best the second week of April · 55 checklists that week, 263 in all86%
  3. Cheney State ParkReno County, best early July · 26 checklists that week, 1,708 in all81%

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

Best time of day

In Kansas, the House Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (33% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%40%12 am: too few checklists (150) to judge1 am: too few checklists (119) to judge2 am: too few checklists (97) to judge3 am: too few checklists (94) to judge4 am: too few checklists (124) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1459) to judge6 am: 31% of 12550 checklists7 am: 34% of 34128 checklists8 am: 33% of 45960 checklists9 am: 27% of 37806 checklists10 am: 24% of 32102 checklists11 am: 23% of 25896 checklists12 pm: 24% of 24203 checklists1 pm: 22% of 20269 checklists2 pm: 21% of 20772 checklists3 pm: 23% of 20978 checklists4 pm: 23% of 22094 checklists5 pm: 24% of 17739 checklists6 pm: 25% of 13963 checklists7 pm: 26% of 10110 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (4188) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (968) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (325) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (171) 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
January23%27%26%26%
February24%30%33%29%
March27%26%25%26%
April26%25%25%27%
May30%30%29%31%
June32%35%35%35%
July36%37%35%33%
August30%27%24%21%
September18%18%18%17%
October19%21%20%20%
November20%20%21%23%
December23%24%22%23%

Neighboring states

  • Nebraska: year-round, peaks mid February
  • Oklahoma: year-round, peaks early July
  • Missouri: year-round, peaks the second week of July
  • Arkansas: year-round, peaks mid July

Common questions

When do House Sparrows arrive in Kansas?
The House Sparrow is in Kansas all year. It turns up on about 36% of checklists at its peak (the second week of July) and on 17% in its quietest week (mid September).
When do House Sparrows leave Kansas?
The House Sparrow does not leave Kansas: it is reported all year, from 17% of checklists in mid September to 36% in the second week of July.
When is the best time to see a House Sparrow in Kansas?
The House Sparrow is reported most often in the second week of July, on about 36% of Kansas checklists.
Where in Kansas are House Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Ellis County, Thomas County, and Sherman County have the highest peak reporting rates for the House Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).