WhenToBird

Haemorhous purpureus · Fringillidae

When Do Purple Finches Arrive in Oklahoma?

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

Purple Finches are winter birds in Oklahoma: the first arrive in the second week of November, they are common by mid November, peak in mid February (3.9% of checklists), and most are gone by mid March.

When to look

First arrivalsNov 8-14the second week of November
Common byNov 15-21mid November
PeakFeb 15-21mid February
Most gone byMar 15-21mid March

Best: mid February. First arrivals the second week of November; most are gone by mid March. Peak: on about 3.9% of Oklahoma checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprrare
  5. Maynot usually seen
  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%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 2.4% of 6087 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.0% of 4350 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.3% of 4381 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.1% of 6165 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.7% of 4259 checklistsFeb 8-14: 4.9% of 4589 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.8% of 7001 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.9% of 4482 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.6% of 4724 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.1% of 4571 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.4% of 4393 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.8% of 7544 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.5% of 5967 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 6543 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 7366 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 10618 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 8835 checklistsMay 8-14: 0% of 8247 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 6081 checklistsMay 22-31: 0% of 7283 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 4256 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 3774 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 3541 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 4159 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 3209 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 2916 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 2861 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 4146 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 3043 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 2839 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 3014 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 4759 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 3861 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 3748 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 3569 checklistsSep 22-30: 0% of 4830 checklistsOct 1-7: 0% of 3809 checklistsOct 8-14: 0% of 4142 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 3705 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 4738 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.4% of 3823 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.3% of 3849 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.5% of 3722 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.3% of 4795 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.6% of 3324 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.6% of 3574 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.6% of 3884 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.3% of 5774 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 Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Choctaw CountyBest late February · 14 checklists that week, 844 in all54%
  2. Pontotoc CountyBest late January · 11 checklists that week, 308 in all32%
  3. Seminole CountyBest the second week of February · 16 checklists that week, 304 in all29%
  4. Pottawatomie CountyBest early January · 69 checklists that week, 1,577 in all25%
  5. Johnston CountyBest early February · 69 checklists that week, 4,464 in all24%
  6. Bryan CountyBest mid December · 17 checklists that week, 1,517 in all24%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Bluff Creek Park(West)Oklahoma County, best mid November · 24 checklists that week, 692 in all16%
  2. Stinchcomb Wildlife Refuge (northeast)Oklahoma County, best late December · 23 checklists that week, 277 in all14%
  3. Recreation LakeTulsa County, best early February · 51 checklists that week, 3,060 in all9.6%
  4. Mitch ParkOklahoma County, best late December · 22 checklists that week, 410 in all7.5%
  5. Sanborn Lake ParkPayne County, best early February · 27 checklists that week, 992 in all5.5%

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

Best time of day

In Oklahoma, the Purple Finch is most often listed on checklists started between 8 and 10 am (1.8% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%12 am: too few checklists (91) to judge1 am: too few checklists (65) to judge2 am: too few checklists (73) to judge3 am: too few checklists (73) to judge4 am: too few checklists (100) to judge5 am: too few checklists (647) to judge6 am: 0.5% of 8353 checklists7 am: 1.4% of 24509 checklists8 am: 1.9% of 27848 checklists9 am: 1.8% of 25316 checklists10 am: 1.5% of 21161 checklists11 am: 0.8% of 18730 checklists12 pm: 1.0% of 16097 checklists1 pm: 1.0% of 14028 checklists2 pm: 1.0% of 13599 checklists3 pm: 0.9% of 14228 checklists4 pm: 0.5% of 14597 checklists5 pm: 0.2% of 12125 checklists6 pm: 0.1% of 9337 checklists7 pm: 0.1% of 6944 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2403) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (459) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (226) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (141) 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
January2.4%3.0%3.3%3.1%
February2.7%4.9%3.8%2.9%
March2.6%2.1%2.4%0.8%
April0.5%0.1%0.1%0.1%
May0.1%0%0.1%0%
June0%0.1%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0%0%
October0%0%0.1%0.1%
November1.4%1.3%1.5%2.3%
December2.6%2.6%2.6%3.3%

Neighboring states

  • Kansas: arrives late October, 2 weeks earlier than Oklahoma
  • Arkansas: arrives late October, 2 weeks earlier than Oklahoma
  • Missouri: arrives mid October, 3 weeks earlier than Oklahoma
  • Nebraska: arrives late October, 2 weeks earlier than Oklahoma

Common questions

When do Purple Finches arrive in Oklahoma?
Purple Finches are winter birds in Oklahoma: the first arrive in the second week of November, they are common by mid November, peak in mid February (3.9% of checklists), and most are gone by mid March.
When do Purple Finches leave Oklahoma?
Most Purple Finches have left Oklahoma by mid March, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late March.
When is the best time to see a Purple Finch in Oklahoma?
The Purple Finch is reported most often in mid February, on about 3.9% of Oklahoma checklists.
Where in Oklahoma are Purple Finches seen most often?
By county, Choctaw County, Pontotoc County, and Seminole County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Purple Finch (counties with at least 200 checklists).