WhenToBird

Passer domesticus · Passeridae

When Do House Sparrows Arrive in Oklahoma?

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

The House Sparrow is in Oklahoma all year. It turns up on about 37% of checklists at its peak (early July) and on 20% in its quietest week (mid November).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekJul 1-7early July
Quietest weekNov 15-21mid November

Best: early July. Here all year. Peak: on about 37% of Oklahoma checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marcommon
  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 6087 checklistsJan 8-14: 24% of 4350 checklistsJan 15-21: 24% of 4381 checklistsJan 22-31: 24% of 6165 checklistsFeb 1-7: 27% of 4259 checklistsFeb 8-14: 28% of 4589 checklistsFeb 15-21: 29% of 7001 checklistsFeb 22-28: 28% of 4482 checklistsMar 1-7: 27% of 4724 checklistsMar 8-14: 27% of 4571 checklistsMar 15-21: 26% of 4393 checklistsMar 22-31: 27% of 7544 checklistsApr 1-7: 27% of 5967 checklistsApr 8-14: 25% of 6543 checklistsApr 15-21: 27% of 7366 checklistsApr 22-30: 29% of 10618 checklistsMay 1-7: 31% of 8835 checklistsMay 8-14: 30% of 8247 checklistsMay 15-21: 32% of 6081 checklistsMay 22-31: 32% of 7283 checklistsJun 1-7: 34% of 4256 checklistsJun 8-14: 35% of 3774 checklistsJun 15-21: 35% of 3541 checklistsJun 22-30: 37% of 4159 checklistsJul 1-7: 37% of 3209 checklistsJul 8-14: 36% of 2916 checklistsJul 15-21: 34% of 2861 checklistsJul 22-31: 31% of 4146 checklistsAug 1-7: 29% of 3043 checklistsAug 8-14: 27% of 2839 checklistsAug 15-21: 24% of 3014 checklistsAug 22-31: 23% of 4759 checklistsSep 1-7: 21% of 3861 checklistsSep 8-14: 20% of 3748 checklistsSep 15-21: 20% of 3569 checklistsSep 22-30: 21% of 4830 checklistsOct 1-7: 21% of 3809 checklistsOct 8-14: 21% of 4142 checklistsOct 15-21: 21% of 3705 checklistsOct 22-31: 20% of 4738 checklistsNov 1-7: 21% of 3823 checklistsNov 8-14: 20% of 3849 checklistsNov 15-21: 21% of 3722 checklistsNov 22-30: 20% of 4795 checklistsDec 1-7: 22% of 3324 checklistsDec 8-14: 21% of 3574 checklistsDec 15-21: 21% of 3884 checklistsDec 22-31: 22% of 5774 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 Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Custer CountyBest late June · 67 checklists that week, 2,696 in all78%
  2. Atoka CountyBest mid December · 15 checklists that week, 381 in all65%
  3. Craig CountyBest early May · 12 checklists that week, 206 in all59%
  4. Kay CountyBest late May · 31 checklists that week, 897 in all59%
  5. Beckham CountyBest late June · 18 checklists that week, 483 in all55%
  6. Mayes CountyBest mid February · 42 checklists that week, 459 in all54%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Boomer Lake Park (Hazen Lake)Payne County, best early July · 20 checklists that week, 597 in all98%
  2. TulsaTulsa County, best late June · 22 checklists that week, 1,288 in all98%
  3. Boomer Lake ParkPayne County, best the second week of June · 60 checklists that week, 3,723 in all92%
  4. Myriad GardensOklahoma County, best late April · 35 checklists that week, 911 in all88%
  5. Woodward ParkTulsa County, best mid May · 34 checklists that week, 458 in all85%
  6. Stillwater Creek Site 30 ReservoirPayne County, best early May · 23 checklists that week, 543 in all84%

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

Best time of day

In Oklahoma, the House Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (35% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%40%12 am: too few checklists (91) to judge1 am: too few checklists (65) to judge2 am: too few checklists (73) to judge3 am: too few checklists (73) to judge4 am: too few checklists (100) to judge5 am: too few checklists (647) to judge6 am: 35% of 8353 checklists7 am: 35% of 24509 checklists8 am: 31% of 27848 checklists9 am: 28% of 25316 checklists10 am: 27% of 21161 checklists11 am: 25% of 18730 checklists12 pm: 25% of 16097 checklists1 pm: 21% of 14028 checklists2 pm: 19% of 13599 checklists3 pm: 21% of 14228 checklists4 pm: 22% of 14597 checklists5 pm: 23% of 12125 checklists6 pm: 26% of 9337 checklists7 pm: 28% of 6944 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2403) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (459) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (226) 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
January23%24%24%24%
February27%28%29%28%
March27%27%26%27%
April27%25%27%29%
May31%30%32%32%
June34%35%35%37%
July37%36%34%31%
August29%27%24%23%
September21%20%20%21%
October21%21%21%20%
November21%20%21%20%
December22%21%21%22%

Neighboring states

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

Common questions

When do House Sparrows arrive in Oklahoma?
The House Sparrow is in Oklahoma all year. It turns up on about 37% of checklists at its peak (early July) and on 20% in its quietest week (mid November).
When do House Sparrows leave Oklahoma?
The House Sparrow does not leave Oklahoma: it is reported all year, from 20% of checklists in mid November to 37% in early July.
When is the best time to see a House Sparrow in Oklahoma?
The House Sparrow is reported most often in early July, on about 37% of Oklahoma checklists.
Where in Oklahoma are House Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Custer County, Atoka County, and Craig County have the highest peak reporting rates for the House Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).