WhenToBird

Chondestes grammacus · Passerellidae

When Do Lark Sparrows Arrive in California?

Adult Lark Sparrow
Photo: Anne Parsons, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

The Lark Sparrow is in California all year. It turns up on about 3.2% of checklists at its peak (mid April) and on 1.6% in its quietest week (early August).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekApr 15-21mid April
Quietest weekAug 1-7early August

Best: mid April. Here all year. Peak: on about 3.2% of California checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 2.1% of 112336 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.0% of 85518 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.1% of 86488 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.2% of 116174 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.2% of 75171 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.2% of 84467 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.1% of 105683 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.3% of 83396 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.4% of 77470 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.6% of 75180 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.9% of 80770 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.9% of 114116 checklistsApr 1-7: 3.1% of 84057 checklistsApr 8-14: 3.2% of 83692 checklistsApr 15-21: 3.2% of 89242 checklistsApr 22-30: 3.1% of 114289 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.9% of 85728 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.6% of 91984 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.6% of 75478 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.5% of 106250 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.1% of 70051 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.3% of 67485 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.1% of 66269 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.0% of 79172 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.1% of 62877 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.7% of 60328 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.6% of 59705 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.5% of 83796 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.7% of 60215 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.6% of 60172 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.6% of 59877 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.8% of 89107 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.9% of 72000 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.2% of 71228 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.5% of 76808 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.7% of 100204 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.5% of 76571 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.4% of 80874 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.5% of 74581 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.4% of 97498 checklistsNov 1-7: 2.3% of 70851 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.3% of 72431 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.2% of 66767 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.1% of 94737 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.2% of 65393 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.2% of 67449 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.6% of 83421 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.2% of 124993 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 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.

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 California

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Sutter CountyBest the second week of September · 52 checklists that week, 4,996 in all15%
  2. Amador CountyBest mid April · 102 checklists that week, 4,733 in all14%
  3. Tuolumne CountyBest mid April · 419 checklists that week, 21,159 in all13%
  4. Nevada CountyBest the second week of April · 527 checklists that week, 25,896 in all11%
  5. Madera CountyBest the second week of April · 322 checklists that week, 11,452 in all11%
  6. Colusa CountyBest the second week of June · 83 checklists that week, 7,653 in all11%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Mount Burdell Open Space PreserveMarin County, best early May · 33 checklists that week, 506 in all86%
  2. Redlands Sports ParkSan Bernardino County, best mid February · 22 checklists that week, 416 in all83%
  3. North Table Mountain Ecological ReserveButte County, best the second week of April · 26 checklists that week, 175 in all82%
  4. Ramona Grasslands PreserveSan Diego County, best late March · 36 checklists that week, 1,202 in all77%
  5. Veterans Memorial ParkPlacer County, best early February · 28 checklists that week, 815 in all76%

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

Best time of day

In California, the Lark Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (3.7% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%12 am: too few checklists (1688) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1451) to judge2 am: too few checklists (1402) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1743) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4647) to judge5 am: too few checklists (32158) to judge6 am: 3.6% of 186053 checklists7 am: 3.7% of 444086 checklists8 am: 3.3% of 535846 checklists9 am: 2.5% of 486061 checklists10 am: 2.0% of 411130 checklists11 am: 1.7% of 325798 checklists12 pm: 1.7% of 269132 checklists1 pm: 1.7% of 244762 checklists2 pm: 1.8% of 235420 checklists3 pm: 1.7% of 232365 checklists4 pm: 1.6% of 208688 checklists5 pm: 1.5% of 146104 checklists6 pm: 1.3% of 96867 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (50942) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (14803) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5561) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (3546) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (2092) 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
January2.1%2.0%2.1%2.2%
February2.2%2.2%2.1%2.3%
March2.4%2.6%2.9%2.9%
April3.1%3.2%3.2%3.1%
May2.9%2.6%2.6%2.5%
June2.1%2.3%2.1%2.0%
July2.1%1.7%1.6%1.5%
August1.7%1.6%1.6%1.8%
September1.9%2.2%2.5%2.7%
October2.5%2.4%2.5%2.4%
November2.3%2.3%2.2%2.1%
December2.2%2.2%2.6%2.2%

Neighboring states

  • Nevada: summer visitor, peaks the second week of May
  • Utah: summer visitor, peaks mid May
  • Arizona: all year, most in summer, peaks early September
  • Oregon: summer visitor, peaks late May

Common questions

When do Lark Sparrows arrive in California?
The Lark Sparrow is in California all year. It turns up on about 3.2% of checklists at its peak (mid April) and on 1.6% in its quietest week (early August).
When do Lark Sparrows leave California?
The Lark Sparrow does not leave California: it is reported all year, from 1.6% of checklists in early August to 3.2% in mid April.
When is the best time to see a Lark Sparrow in California?
The Lark Sparrow is reported most often in mid April, on about 3.2% of California checklists.
Where in California are Lark Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Sutter County, Amador County, and Tuolumne County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Lark Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).