WhenToBird

Passer domesticus · Passeridae

When Do House Sparrows Arrive in Minnesota?

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

The House Sparrow is in Minnesota all year. It turns up on about 20% of checklists at its peak (the second week of July) and on 10% 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 20% of Minnesota 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. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 17% of 20628 checklistsJan 8-14: 17% of 14594 checklistsJan 15-21: 17% of 14238 checklistsJan 22-31: 17% of 20725 checklistsFeb 1-7: 17% of 14484 checklistsFeb 8-14: 18% of 15988 checklistsFeb 15-21: 19% of 20718 checklistsFeb 22-28: 19% of 15754 checklistsMar 1-7: 19% of 16125 checklistsMar 8-14: 19% of 19035 checklistsMar 15-21: 18% of 19586 checklistsMar 22-31: 17% of 30192 checklistsApr 1-7: 16% of 24262 checklistsApr 8-14: 16% of 30223 checklistsApr 15-21: 16% of 29085 checklistsApr 22-30: 15% of 43574 checklistsMay 1-7: 17% of 39300 checklistsMay 8-14: 17% of 45927 checklistsMay 15-21: 16% of 36632 checklistsMay 22-31: 16% of 43809 checklistsJun 1-7: 18% of 23418 checklistsJun 8-14: 17% of 20450 checklistsJun 15-21: 18% of 19470 checklistsJun 22-30: 19% of 23418 checklistsJul 1-7: 19% of 19104 checklistsJul 8-14: 21% of 16927 checklistsJul 15-21: 21% of 15635 checklistsJul 22-31: 20% of 22073 checklistsAug 1-7: 19% of 16255 checklistsAug 8-14: 16% of 16840 checklistsAug 15-21: 15% of 17475 checklistsAug 22-31: 12% of 26545 checklistsSep 1-7: 11% of 20750 checklistsSep 8-14: 9.8% of 18494 checklistsSep 15-21: 9.7% of 18215 checklistsSep 22-30: 11% of 24463 checklistsOct 1-7: 13% of 18252 checklistsOct 8-14: 14% of 19527 checklistsOct 15-21: 15% of 17098 checklistsOct 22-31: 14% of 24570 checklistsNov 1-7: 15% of 16744 checklistsNov 8-14: 17% of 13483 checklistsNov 15-21: 18% of 12525 checklistsNov 22-30: 18% of 17023 checklistsDec 1-7: 19% of 11645 checklistsDec 8-14: 19% of 11567 checklistsDec 15-21: 19% of 13343 checklistsDec 22-31: 18% of 19759 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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Le Sueur CountyBest mid January · 66 checklists that week, 5,034 in all74%
  2. Stevens CountyBest the second week of February · 51 checklists that week, 2,839 in all68%
  3. Meeker CountyBest the second week of February · 34 checklists that week, 4,480 in all62%
  4. Cottonwood CountyBest mid December · 13 checklists that week, 4,171 in all62%
  5. Todd CountyBest late November · 78 checklists that week, 4,802 in all56%
  6. Red Lake CountyBest late February · 22 checklists that week, 1,028 in all55%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Grass LakeHennepin County, best the second week of June · 25 checklists that week, 1,440 in all95%
  2. Lake Place ParkSt. Louis County, best late June · 22 checklists that week, 194 in all94%
  3. Hennepin County Government Plaza-SouthHennepin County, best early October · 21 checklists that week, 136 in all94%
  4. Loring ParkHennepin County, best late May · 25 checklists that week, 571 in all88%
  5. Lake of the IslesHennepin County, best mid June · 23 checklists that week, 663 in all86%
  6. Powderhorn ParkHennepin County, best mid July · 26 checklists that week, 2,272 in all85%

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

Best time of day

In Minnesota, the House Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (21% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (349) to judge1 am: too few checklists (331) to judge2 am: too few checklists (286) to judge3 am: too few checklists (364) to judge4 am: too few checklists (863) to judge5 am: too few checklists (7598) to judge6 am: 19% of 35775 checklists7 am: 21% of 90565 checklists8 am: 19% of 110612 checklists9 am: 18% of 106128 checklists10 am: 17% of 96131 checklists11 am: 16% of 83750 checklists12 pm: 16% of 76254 checklists1 pm: 15% of 73480 checklists2 pm: 14% of 73703 checklists3 pm: 14% of 75249 checklists4 pm: 14% of 68810 checklists5 pm: 15% of 51899 checklists6 pm: 15% of 38524 checklists7 pm: 15% of 25120 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (10568) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2420) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (748) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (420) 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
January17%17%17%17%
February17%18%19%19%
March19%19%18%17%
April16%16%16%15%
May17%17%16%16%
June18%17%18%19%
July19%21%21%20%
August19%16%15%12%
September11%9.8%9.7%11%
October13%14%15%14%
November15%17%18%18%
December19%19%19%18%

Neighboring states

  • Iowa: year-round, peaks the second week of July
  • Wisconsin: year-round, peaks the second week of February
  • South Dakota: year-round, peaks the second week of February
  • North Dakota: year-round, peaks mid February

Common questions

When do House Sparrows arrive in Minnesota?
The House Sparrow is in Minnesota all year. It turns up on about 20% of checklists at its peak (the second week of July) and on 10% in its quietest week (the second week of September).
When do House Sparrows leave Minnesota?
The House Sparrow does not leave Minnesota: it is reported all year, from 10% of checklists in the second week of September to 20% in the second week of July.
When is the best time to see a House Sparrow in Minnesota?
The House Sparrow is reported most often in the second week of July, on about 20% of Minnesota checklists.
Where in Minnesota are House Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Le Sueur County, Stevens County, and Meeker County have the highest peak reporting rates for the House Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).