WhenToBird

Passer domesticus · Passeridae

When Do House Sparrows Arrive in Nebraska?

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

The House Sparrow is in Nebraska all year. It turns up on about 38% of checklists at its peak (mid February) and on 23% in its quietest week (the second week of September).

When to look

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

Best: mid February. Here all year. Peak: on about 38% of Nebraska 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%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 32% of 4210 checklistsJan 8-14: 35% of 2891 checklistsJan 15-21: 36% of 2685 checklistsJan 22-31: 33% of 3834 checklistsFeb 1-7: 34% of 2803 checklistsFeb 8-14: 38% of 3134 checklistsFeb 15-21: 40% of 4508 checklistsFeb 22-28: 34% of 3238 checklistsMar 1-7: 31% of 3862 checklistsMar 8-14: 28% of 4894 checklistsMar 15-21: 26% of 5862 checklistsMar 22-31: 26% of 8598 checklistsApr 1-7: 26% of 5530 checklistsApr 8-14: 27% of 5528 checklistsApr 15-21: 28% of 6091 checklistsApr 22-30: 30% of 8661 checklistsMay 1-7: 33% of 9842 checklistsMay 8-14: 35% of 10044 checklistsMay 15-21: 30% of 8863 checklistsMay 22-31: 30% of 10207 checklistsJun 1-7: 28% of 4922 checklistsJun 8-14: 29% of 4054 checklistsJun 15-21: 30% of 3680 checklistsJun 22-30: 34% of 4349 checklistsJul 1-7: 35% of 3277 checklistsJul 8-14: 37% of 2803 checklistsJul 15-21: 37% of 2842 checklistsJul 22-31: 37% of 3920 checklistsAug 1-7: 36% of 2981 checklistsAug 8-14: 32% of 2819 checklistsAug 15-21: 30% of 3179 checklistsAug 22-31: 27% of 4599 checklistsSep 1-7: 24% of 3958 checklistsSep 8-14: 23% of 3460 checklistsSep 15-21: 21% of 3435 checklistsSep 22-30: 24% of 4975 checklistsOct 1-7: 25% of 3611 checklistsOct 8-14: 28% of 3605 checklistsOct 15-21: 28% of 3474 checklistsOct 22-31: 28% of 4352 checklistsNov 1-7: 29% of 3119 checklistsNov 8-14: 26% of 2887 checklistsNov 15-21: 28% of 2568 checklistsNov 22-30: 30% of 3506 checklistsDec 1-7: 30% of 2453 checklistsDec 8-14: 29% of 2756 checklistsDec 15-21: 27% of 3760 checklistsDec 22-31: 34% of 3746 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 Nebraska 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 Nebraska

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Otoe CountyBest mid December · 52 checklists that week, 3,856 in all86%
  2. Saline CountyBest late December · 29 checklists that week, 724 in all80%
  3. Clay CountyBest late December · 19 checklists that week, 1,432 in all79%
  4. Dodge CountyBest mid June · 136 checklists that week, 8,625 in all76%
  5. York CountyBest the second week of January · 24 checklists that week, 1,922 in all76%
  6. Red Willow CountyBest late May · 30 checklists that week, 594 in all69%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Riverview ParkDouglas County, best late May · 23 checklists that week, 238 in all95%
  2. Janicek ReservoirKimball County, best late May · 29 checklists that week, 173 in all90%
  3. Mercer ParkDouglas County, best mid April · 28 checklists that week, 696 in all89%
  4. Lauritzen GardensDouglas County, best early May · 27 checklists that week, 317 in all78%

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

Best time of day

In Nebraska, the House Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (40% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%12 am: too few checklists (60) to judge1 am: too few checklists (70) to judge2 am: too few checklists (74) to judge3 am: too few checklists (97) to judge4 am: too few checklists (318) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1382) to judge6 am: 37% of 6945 checklists7 am: 41% of 19066 checklists8 am: 40% of 24661 checklists9 am: 34% of 23438 checklists10 am: 30% of 20424 checklists11 am: 27% of 16727 checklists12 pm: 27% of 14774 checklists1 pm: 25% of 14443 checklists2 pm: 24% of 14830 checklists3 pm: 24% of 14445 checklists4 pm: 26% of 13353 checklists5 pm: 26% of 10506 checklists6 pm: 28% of 9208 checklists7 pm: 26% of 6334 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2406) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (531) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (201) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (82) 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
January32%35%36%33%
February34%38%40%34%
March31%28%26%26%
April26%27%28%30%
May33%35%30%30%
June28%29%30%34%
July35%37%37%37%
August36%32%30%27%
September24%23%21%24%
October25%28%28%28%
November29%26%28%30%
December30%29%27%34%

Neighboring states

  • Kansas: year-round, peaks the second week of July
  • South Dakota: year-round, peaks the second week of February
  • Iowa: year-round, peaks the second week of July
  • Missouri: year-round, peaks the second week of July

Common questions

When do House Sparrows arrive in Nebraska?
The House Sparrow is in Nebraska all year. It turns up on about 38% of checklists at its peak (mid February) and on 23% in its quietest week (the second week of September).
When do House Sparrows leave Nebraska?
The House Sparrow does not leave Nebraska: it is reported all year, from 23% of checklists in the second week of September to 38% in mid February.
When is the best time to see a House Sparrow in Nebraska?
The House Sparrow is reported most often in mid February, on about 38% of Nebraska checklists.
Where in Nebraska are House Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Otoe County, Saline County, and Clay County have the highest peak reporting rates for the House Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).