WhenToBird

Troglodytes aedon · Troglodytidae

When Do Northern House Wrens Arrive in California?

Northern House Wrens are in California all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from late March, peak in late April (16% of checklists), and fall back by late June. In the quietest week (early February) they are still on about 3.0% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMar 22-31late March
PeakApr 22-30late April
Fall back byJun 22-30late June
FewestFeb 1-7early February

Best: late April. Here all year; numbers build from late March and fall back by late June. Peak: on about 16% of California checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 3.9% of 112336 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.3% of 85518 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.2% of 86488 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.0% of 116174 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.9% of 75171 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.1% of 84467 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.4% of 105683 checklistsFeb 22-28: 5.0% of 83396 checklistsMar 1-7: 5.5% of 77470 checklistsMar 8-14: 7.1% of 75180 checklistsMar 15-21: 8.9% of 80770 checklistsMar 22-31: 11% of 114116 checklistsApr 1-7: 13% of 84057 checklistsApr 8-14: 15% of 83692 checklistsApr 15-21: 16% of 89242 checklistsApr 22-30: 17% of 114289 checklistsMay 1-7: 16% of 85728 checklistsMay 8-14: 16% of 91984 checklistsMay 15-21: 16% of 75478 checklistsMay 22-31: 15% of 106250 checklistsJun 1-7: 15% of 70051 checklistsJun 8-14: 13% of 67485 checklistsJun 15-21: 12% of 66269 checklistsJun 22-30: 10% of 79172 checklistsJul 1-7: 8.5% of 62877 checklistsJul 8-14: 7.2% of 60328 checklistsJul 15-21: 6.7% of 59705 checklistsJul 22-31: 5.7% of 83796 checklistsAug 1-7: 5.8% of 60215 checklistsAug 8-14: 6.6% of 60172 checklistsAug 15-21: 7.2% of 59877 checklistsAug 22-31: 9.5% of 89107 checklistsSep 1-7: 12% of 72000 checklistsSep 8-14: 14% of 71228 checklistsSep 15-21: 14% of 76808 checklistsSep 22-30: 14% of 100204 checklistsOct 1-7: 13% of 76571 checklistsOct 8-14: 11% of 80874 checklistsOct 15-21: 11% of 74581 checklistsOct 22-31: 9.7% of 97498 checklistsNov 1-7: 8.8% of 70851 checklistsNov 8-14: 7.7% of 72431 checklistsNov 15-21: 7.3% of 66767 checklistsNov 22-30: 6.7% of 94737 checklistsDec 1-7: 6.1% of 65393 checklistsDec 8-14: 5.5% of 67449 checklistsDec 15-21: 5.3% of 83421 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.3% 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. Yolo CountyBest the second week of September · 1427 checklists that week, 67,424 in all43%
  2. Sutter CountyBest mid May · 93 checklists that week, 4,996 in all41%
  3. Orange CountyBest mid April · 5439 checklists that week, 244,559 in all33%
  4. Mono CountyBest mid May · 974 checklists that week, 38,666 in all32%
  5. Inyo CountyBest the second week of May · 995 checklists that week, 35,713 in all31%
  6. Ventura CountyBest mid September · 1829 checklists that week, 94,391 in all31%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Edward R. Levin Park (northwest)Santa Clara County, best early May · 21 checklists that week, 159 in all100%
  2. Rattlesnake CanyonVentura County, best late May · 21 checklists that week, 802 in all100%
  3. Sacramento Regional County Sanitation DistrictSacramento County, best the second week of April · 46 checklists that week, 2,065 in all99%
  4. Gum Grove ParkOrange County, best the second week of April · 33 checklists that week, 459 in all99%

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

Best time of day

In California, the Northern House Wren is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (16% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%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: 17% of 186053 checklists7 am: 16% of 444086 checklists8 am: 13% of 535846 checklists9 am: 10% of 486061 checklists10 am: 8.5% of 411130 checklists11 am: 6.9% of 325798 checklists12 pm: 6.1% of 269132 checklists1 pm: 5.4% of 244762 checklists2 pm: 5.0% of 235420 checklists3 pm: 4.8% of 232365 checklists4 pm: 5.0% of 208688 checklists5 pm: 6.4% of 146104 checklists6 pm: 5.7% 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
January3.9%3.3%3.2%3.0%
February2.9%3.1%3.4%5.0%
March5.5%7.1%8.9%11%
April13%15%16%17%
May16%16%16%15%
June15%13%12%10%
July8.5%7.2%6.7%5.7%
August5.8%6.6%7.2%9.5%
September12%14%14%14%
October13%11%11%9.7%
November8.8%7.7%7.3%6.7%
December6.1%5.5%5.3%4.3%

Neighboring states

  • Nevada: arrives late March, in the same week than California
  • Utah: arrives the second week of April, 2 weeks later than California
  • Arizona: arrives mid April, 3 weeks later than California
  • Oregon: arrives mid April, 3 weeks later than California

Common questions

When do Northern House Wrens arrive in California?
Northern House Wrens are in California all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from late March, peak in late April (16% of checklists), and fall back by late June. In the quietest week (early February) they are still on about 3.0% of checklists.
When do Northern House Wrens leave California?
Northern House Wrens never fully leave California: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by late June, but some are still reported in every week, about 3.0% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Northern House Wren in California?
The Northern House Wren is reported most often in late April, on about 16% of California checklists.
Where in California are Northern House Wrens seen most often?
By county, Yolo County, Sutter County, and Orange County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern House Wren (counties with at least 200 checklists).