WhenToBird

Passer domesticus · Passeridae

When Do House Sparrows Arrive in Wisconsin?

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

The House Sparrow is in Wisconsin all year. It turns up on about 31% of checklists at its peak (the second week of February) and on 19% in its quietest week (the second week of September).

When to look

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

Best: the second week of February. Here all year. Peak: on about 31% of Wisconsin 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. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 25% of 27925 checklistsJan 8-14: 28% of 18337 checklistsJan 15-21: 28% of 17370 checklistsJan 22-31: 29% of 23777 checklistsFeb 1-7: 30% of 16656 checklistsFeb 8-14: 31% of 18286 checklistsFeb 15-21: 32% of 24739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 30% of 20113 checklistsMar 1-7: 30% of 24024 checklistsMar 8-14: 27% of 26722 checklistsMar 15-21: 25% of 27238 checklistsMar 22-31: 24% of 40171 checklistsApr 1-7: 23% of 34961 checklistsApr 8-14: 24% of 39128 checklistsApr 15-21: 25% of 38887 checklistsApr 22-30: 26% of 57231 checklistsMay 1-7: 27% of 55115 checklistsMay 8-14: 27% of 63098 checklistsMay 15-21: 24% of 49821 checklistsMay 22-31: 23% of 56796 checklistsJun 1-7: 24% of 33621 checklistsJun 8-14: 24% of 31282 checklistsJun 15-21: 24% of 30186 checklistsJun 22-30: 24% of 35128 checklistsJul 1-7: 25% of 27088 checklistsJul 8-14: 26% of 23293 checklistsJul 15-21: 28% of 20933 checklistsJul 22-31: 28% of 27595 checklistsAug 1-7: 28% of 19147 checklistsAug 8-14: 25% of 18286 checklistsAug 15-21: 23% of 19195 checklistsAug 22-31: 21% of 28229 checklistsSep 1-7: 19% of 22408 checklistsSep 8-14: 19% of 20857 checklistsSep 15-21: 19% of 20707 checklistsSep 22-30: 20% of 26469 checklistsOct 1-7: 22% of 21069 checklistsOct 8-14: 24% of 21011 checklistsOct 15-21: 24% of 20006 checklistsOct 22-31: 25% of 26362 checklistsNov 1-7: 25% of 18928 checklistsNov 8-14: 25% of 17052 checklistsNov 15-21: 25% of 16291 checklistsNov 22-30: 26% of 20564 checklistsDec 1-7: 27% of 15354 checklistsDec 8-14: 28% of 16294 checklistsDec 15-21: 29% of 21430 checklistsDec 22-31: 27% of 26314 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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. La Crosse CountyBest late July · 289 checklists that week, 15,788 in all70%
  2. Crawford CountyBest the second week of August · 44 checklists that week, 4,271 in all69%
  3. Milwaukee CountyBest the second week of July · 1361 checklists that week, 114,667 in all59%
  4. Rock CountyBest late November · 235 checklists that week, 15,236 in all59%
  5. Jefferson CountyBest the second week of July · 489 checklists that week, 31,378 in all54%
  6. Outagamie CountyBest late November · 393 checklists that week, 24,461 in all53%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Vilas (Henry) ParkDane County, best late July · 20 checklists that week, 798 in all95%
  2. Glacial Drumlin State TrailJefferson County, best late April · 28 checklists that week, 346 in all93%
  3. Riverside ParkMilwaukee County, best early August · 20 checklists that week, 1,153 in all93%
  4. Samuel Meyers ParkRacine County, best early June · 21 checklists that week, 1,144 in all92%
  5. Koshkonong Wildlife AreaJefferson County, best mid July · 20 checklists that week, 585 in all91%
  6. La Crosse River MarshLa Crosse County, best late June · 22 checklists that week, 1,097 in all90%

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

Best time of day

In Wisconsin, the House Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (32% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%40%12 am: too few checklists (993) to judge1 am: too few checklists (844) to judge2 am: too few checklists (839) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1488) to judge4 am: too few checklists (5344) to judge5 am: 25% of 27016 checklists6 am: 29% of 83973 checklists7 am: 32% of 160717 checklists8 am: 31% of 160531 checklists9 am: 26% of 136968 checklists10 am: 24% of 119110 checklists11 am: 23% of 99116 checklists12 pm: 23% of 85078 checklists1 pm: 22% of 80688 checklists2 pm: 22% of 79140 checklists3 pm: 23% of 78599 checklists4 pm: 23% of 69767 checklists5 pm: 23% of 53229 checklists6 pm: 23% of 38769 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24396) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (10155) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4990) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2463) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1281) 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
January25%28%28%29%
February30%31%32%30%
March30%27%25%24%
April23%24%25%26%
May27%27%24%23%
June24%24%24%24%
July25%26%28%28%
August28%25%23%21%
September19%19%19%20%
October22%24%24%25%
November25%25%25%26%
December27%28%29%27%

Neighboring states

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

Common questions

When do House Sparrows arrive in Wisconsin?
The House Sparrow is in Wisconsin all year. It turns up on about 31% of checklists at its peak (the second week of February) and on 19% in its quietest week (the second week of September).
When do House Sparrows leave Wisconsin?
The House Sparrow does not leave Wisconsin: it is reported all year, from 19% of checklists in the second week of September to 31% in the second week of February.
When is the best time to see a House Sparrow in Wisconsin?
The House Sparrow is reported most often in the second week of February, on about 31% of Wisconsin checklists.
Where in Wisconsin are House Sparrows seen most often?
By county, La Crosse County, Crawford County, and Milwaukee County have the highest peak reporting rates for the House Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).