WhenToBird

Dark-eyed Junco · Junco hyemalis

When Do Juncos Arrive in Arizona?

Adult male Dark-eyed Junco
Photo: Jimmy Dee, CC BY-SA 4.0 via iNaturalist

Dark-eyed Juncos are in Arizona all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from the second week of October, peak in early November (15% of checklists), and fall back by mid March. In the quietest week (the second week of August) they are still on about 3.0% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildOct 8-14the second week of October
PeakNov 1-7early November
Fall back byMar 15-21mid March
FewestAug 8-14the second week of August

Best: early November. Here all year; numbers build from the second week of October and fall back by mid March. Peak: on about 15% of Arizona checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

Juncos in Arizona, species by species

SpeciesFirst arrivalsCommon byPeakMost gone byPeak %
Dark-eyed JuncoOct 8-14Oct 8-14Nov 1-7Mar 15-2115%
0%5%10%15%20%Dark-eyed JuncoJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
  • Dark-eyed Junco
Share of complete checklists reporting each species, by week (4 per month). Gaps: fewer than 10 checklists that week.

Frequency is the share of complete checklists in Arizona 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.

Where in Arizona

Best counties for Dark-eyed Junco

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Coconino CountyBest mid February · 1393 checklists that week, 90,870 in all62%
  2. Navajo CountyBest late October · 297 checklists that week, 18,838 in all58%
  3. Apache CountyBest mid February · 189 checklists that week, 12,931 in all43%
  4. Yavapai CountyBest early February · 1525 checklists that week, 83,606 in all43%
  5. Gila CountyBest the second week of November · 222 checklists that week, 14,834 in all35%
  6. Greenlee CountyBest late June · 61 checklists that week, 2,745 in all34%

Common questions

When do juncos arrive in Arizona?
Dark-eyed Juncos are in Arizona all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from the second week of October, peak in early November (15% of checklists), and fall back by mid March. In the quietest week (the second week of August) they are still on about 3.0% of checklists.
When do juncos leave Arizona?
Dark-eyed Juncos never fully leave Arizona: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by mid March, but some are still reported in every week, about 3.0% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see juncos in Arizona?
The Dark-eyed Junco is reported most often in early November, on about 15% of Arizona checklists.