When do juncos leave California?

The Dark-eyed Junco does not leave California: it is reported all year, from 18% of checklists in mid August to 28% in the second week of March.

When is the best time to see juncos in California?

The Dark-eyed Junco is reported most often in the second week of March, on about 28% of California checklists.

Dark-eyed Junco · Junco hyemalis

When Do Juncos Arrive in California?

Photo: Jimmy Dee, CC BY-SA 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Dark-eyed Junco is in California all year. It turns up on about 28% of checklists at its peak (the second week of March) and on 18% in its quietest week (mid August).

When to look

PresentAll year

Peak weekMar 8-14the second week of March

Quietest weekAug 15-21mid August

Best: the second week of March. Here all year. Peak: on about 28% of California checklists.

Janpeak season
Febpeak season
Marpeak season
Aprpeak season
Maypeak season
Junpeak season
Julpeak season
Augcommon
Seppeak season
Octpeak season
Novpeak season
Decpeak season

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

Juncos in California, species by species

Species	First arrivals	Common by	Peak	Most gone by	Peak %
Dark-eyed Junco	all year	–	Mar 8-14	–	28%

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 California 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 California

Best counties for Dark-eyed Junco

Share of checklists at the peak

Nevada CountyBest the second week of November · 363 checklists that week, 25,896 in all62%
Sierra CountyBest the second week of July · 283 checklists that week, 8,945 in all61%
Alpine CountyBest late July · 415 checklists that week, 6,013 in all58%
Mariposa CountyBest the second week of July · 350 checklists that week, 17,385 in all57%
Santa Cruz CountyBest late June · 2596 checklists that week, 140,819 in all57%
San Francisco CountyBest late May · 3391 checklists that week, 130,018 in all54%

Common questions

When do juncos arrive in California?: The Dark-eyed Junco is in California all year. It turns up on about 28% of checklists at its peak (the second week of March) and on 18% in its quietest week (mid August).
When do juncos leave California?: The Dark-eyed Junco does not leave California: it is reported all year, from 18% of checklists in mid August to 28% in the second week of March.
When is the best time to see juncos in California?: The Dark-eyed Junco is reported most often in the second week of March, on about 28% of California checklists.