WhenToBird

Melospiza lincolnii · Passerellidae

When Do Lincoln's Sparrows Arrive in Texas?

Adult Lincoln's Sparrow
Photo: Elijah Jaeger, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Lincoln's Sparrows are winter birds in Texas: the first arrive in late September, they are common by the second week of October, peak in late March (14% of checklists), and most are gone by early May.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 22-30late September
Common byOct 8-14the second week of October
PeakMar 22-31late March
Most gone byMay 1-7early May

Best: late March. First arrivals late September; most are gone by early May. Peak: on about 14% of Texas checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Seprare
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 8.5% of 66038 checklistsJan 8-14: 8.3% of 52445 checklistsJan 15-21: 8.8% of 52985 checklistsJan 22-31: 9.1% of 71020 checklistsFeb 1-7: 9.1% of 52306 checklistsFeb 8-14: 8.4% of 55887 checklistsFeb 15-21: 7.4% of 69016 checklistsFeb 22-28: 9.5% of 52998 checklistsMar 1-7: 11% of 50836 checklistsMar 8-14: 12% of 51749 checklistsMar 15-21: 14% of 53731 checklistsMar 22-31: 15% of 82049 checklistsApr 1-7: 14% of 65854 checklistsApr 8-14: 14% of 78434 checklistsApr 15-21: 12% of 92302 checklistsApr 22-30: 9.2% of 122878 checklistsMay 1-7: 5.0% of 74592 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.8% of 61008 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.7% of 43365 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 52736 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 31643 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 30131 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 26802 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 32822 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 27213 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 24555 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 24146 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 34536 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 25764 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 26347 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 28431 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 42838 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 35070 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.2% of 33893 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.3% of 32572 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.7% of 43771 checklistsOct 1-7: 4.4% of 34143 checklistsOct 8-14: 7.5% of 37563 checklistsOct 15-21: 9.2% of 36263 checklistsOct 22-31: 10% of 49170 checklistsNov 1-7: 11% of 43301 checklistsNov 8-14: 9.5% of 48744 checklistsNov 15-21: 9.9% of 42213 checklistsNov 22-30: 9.3% of 54455 checklistsDec 1-7: 9.8% of 40166 checklistsDec 8-14: 9.7% of 41035 checklistsDec 15-21: 11% of 46983 checklistsDec 22-31: 8.9% of 73015 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 Texas 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 Texas

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. DeWitt CountyBest the second week of April · 106 checklists that week, 4,050 in all52%
  2. Kimble CountyBest mid March · 297 checklists that week, 12,009 in all48%
  3. Irion CountyBest the second week of January · 12 checklists that week, 900 in all48%
  4. Guadalupe CountyBest the second week of April · 379 checklists that week, 15,791 in all44%
  5. Karnes CountyBest mid March · 33 checklists that week, 1,746 in all42%
  6. Johnson CountyBest the second week of April · 279 checklists that week, 11,071 in all40%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Crescent Bend Nature ParkBexar County, best mid March · 122 checklists that week, 5,262 in all87%
  2. Oso Bay Wetlands Preserve (Peary Place)Nueces County, best mid November · 26 checklists that week, 461 in all77%
  3. Trail ParkCameron County, best mid March · 84 checklists that week, 2,801 in all77%
  4. Crystal HillsBexar County, best the second week of November · 24 checklists that week, 355 in all76%
  5. Whitney Lake ParkSan Patricio County, best early November · 24 checklists that week, 867 in all75%

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

Best time of day

In Texas, the Lincoln's Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (10% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (898) to judge1 am: too few checklists (756) to judge2 am: too few checklists (663) to judge3 am: too few checklists (741) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1537) to judge5 am: too few checklists (6113) to judge6 am: 6.4% of 74687 checklists7 am: 10% of 285131 checklists8 am: 10% of 329960 checklists9 am: 8.4% of 267889 checklists10 am: 7.1% of 218205 checklists11 am: 6.3% of 178879 checklists12 pm: 5.9% of 153722 checklists1 pm: 6.0% of 144662 checklists2 pm: 6.1% of 138578 checklists3 pm: 6.0% of 136878 checklists4 pm: 5.9% of 137550 checklists5 pm: 5.5% of 113599 checklists6 pm: 4.5% of 81743 checklists7 pm: 2.6% of 53396 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (17221) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4048) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1965) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (990) 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
January8.5%8.3%8.8%9.1%
February9.1%8.4%7.4%9.5%
March11%12%14%15%
April14%14%12%9.2%
May5.0%1.8%0.7%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0%0.1%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0.1%
September0.1%0.2%0.3%1.7%
October4.4%7.5%9.2%10%
November11%9.5%9.9%9.3%
December9.8%9.7%11%8.9%

Neighboring states

  • Louisiana: arrives early October, 1 week later than Texas
  • Oklahoma: arrives mid September, 1 week earlier than Texas
  • Arkansas: arrives late March, 24 weeks earlier than Texas
  • Kansas: arrives early March, 21 weeks later than Texas

Common questions

When do Lincoln's Sparrows arrive in Texas?
Lincoln's Sparrows are winter birds in Texas: the first arrive in late September, they are common by the second week of October, peak in late March (14% of checklists), and most are gone by early May.
When do Lincoln's Sparrows leave Texas?
Most Lincoln's Sparrows have left Texas by early May, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of May.
When is the best time to see a Lincoln's Sparrow in Texas?
The Lincoln's Sparrow is reported most often in late March, on about 14% of Texas checklists.
Where in Texas are Lincoln's Sparrows seen most often?
By county, DeWitt County, Kimble County, and Irion County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Lincoln's Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).