WhenToBird

Haemorhous purpureus · Fringillidae

When Do Purple Finches Arrive in Arkansas?

Adult Purple Finch
Photo: Dani Alba, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Purple Finches are winter birds in Arkansas: the first arrive in late October, they are common by the second week of November, peak in the second week of February (8.3% of checklists), and most are gone by early April.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 22-31late October
Common byNov 8-14the second week of November
PeakFeb 8-14the second week of February
Most gone byApr 1-7early April

Best: the second week of February. First arrivals late October; most are gone by early April. Peak: on about 8.3% of Arkansas checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octrare
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 6.0% of 5292 checklistsJan 8-14: 7.1% of 4085 checklistsJan 15-21: 6.5% of 4531 checklistsJan 22-31: 5.4% of 6500 checklistsFeb 1-7: 6.2% of 4752 checklistsFeb 8-14: 9.0% of 5385 checklistsFeb 15-21: 9.1% of 7219 checklistsFeb 22-28: 5.8% of 4163 checklistsMar 1-7: 6.1% of 3952 checklistsMar 8-14: 5.5% of 4067 checklistsMar 15-21: 5.7% of 4446 checklistsMar 22-31: 4.7% of 6911 checklistsApr 1-7: 3.2% of 5422 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.4% of 6043 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.9% of 6759 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.9% of 10236 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 8243 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 7467 checklistsMay 15-21: 0% of 6160 checklistsMay 22-31: 0% of 7287 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 4884 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 4444 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 3579 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 3858 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 3042 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 2889 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 2599 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 3825 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 2951 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 2765 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 2838 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 4360 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 3573 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 3314 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 3118 checklistsSep 22-30: 0% of 4381 checklistsOct 1-7: 0% of 3640 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 4119 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.3% of 3810 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.8% of 4956 checklistsNov 1-7: 2.7% of 3704 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.6% of 3678 checklistsNov 15-21: 5.1% of 3457 checklistsNov 22-30: 5.9% of 4648 checklistsDec 1-7: 5.5% of 3390 checklistsDec 8-14: 4.9% of 3510 checklistsDec 15-21: 5.1% of 4540 checklistsDec 22-31: 5.5% of 6404 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 Arkansas 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 Arkansas

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Howard CountyBest mid February · 15 checklists that week, 238 in all61%
  2. Van Buren CountyBest the second week of March · 10 checklists that week, 895 in all53%
  3. Carroll CountyBest early February · 33 checklists that week, 3,417 in all49%
  4. Grant CountyBest late January · 33 checklists that week, 1,258 in all40%
  5. Drew CountyBest the second week of January · 17 checklists that week, 720 in all39%
  6. Ouachita CountyBest mid February · 12 checklists that week, 297 in all32%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Logoly State ParkColumbia County, best the second week of January · 31 checklists that week, 1,288 in all38%
  2. Craighead Forest ParkCraighead County, best late March · 24 checklists that week, 818 in all11%
  3. Lake Fayetteville ParkWashington County, best mid November · 22 checklists that week, 1,197 in all8.6%
  4. Lake Sequoyah ParkWashington County, best late December · 54 checklists that week, 1,719 in all7.3%
  5. Wapanocca LakeCrittenden County, best late December · 23 checklists that week, 302 in all6.1%

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

Best time of day

In Arkansas, the Purple Finch is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (4.2% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (98) to judge1 am: too few checklists (88) to judge2 am: too few checklists (95) to judge3 am: too few checklists (94) to judge4 am: too few checklists (145) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1455) to judge6 am: 2.3% of 10807 checklists7 am: 4.1% of 27761 checklists8 am: 4.3% of 30943 checklists9 am: 3.0% of 26975 checklists10 am: 2.4% of 21989 checklists11 am: 2.6% of 16828 checklists12 pm: 2.7% of 14069 checklists1 pm: 3.1% of 13145 checklists2 pm: 2.4% of 12780 checklists3 pm: 2.2% of 12723 checklists4 pm: 1.6% of 12500 checklists5 pm: 0.5% of 9576 checklists6 pm: 0.3% of 7182 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (4187) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (1314) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (245) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (122) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (75) 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
January6.0%7.1%6.5%5.4%
February6.2%9.0%9.1%5.8%
March6.1%5.5%5.7%4.7%
April3.2%2.4%0.9%0.9%
May0.1%0.1%0%0%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0.1%0%
October0%0.1%0.3%0.8%
November2.7%3.6%5.1%5.9%
December5.5%4.9%5.1%5.5%

Neighboring states

  • Missouri: arrives mid October, 1 week earlier than Arkansas
  • Oklahoma: arrives the second week of November, 2 weeks later than Arkansas
  • Kansas: arrives late October, in the same week than Arkansas
  • Mississippi: arrives the second week of November, 2 weeks later than Arkansas

Common questions

When do Purple Finches arrive in Arkansas?
Purple Finches are winter birds in Arkansas: the first arrive in late October, they are common by the second week of November, peak in the second week of February (8.3% of checklists), and most are gone by early April.
When do Purple Finches leave Arkansas?
Most Purple Finches have left Arkansas by early April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid April.
When is the best time to see a Purple Finch in Arkansas?
The Purple Finch is reported most often in the second week of February, on about 8.3% of Arkansas checklists.
Where in Arkansas are Purple Finches seen most often?
By county, Howard County, Van Buren County, and Carroll County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Purple Finch (counties with at least 200 checklists).