WhenToBird

Aimophila ruficeps · Passerellidae

When Do Rufous-crowned Sparrows Arrive in Arizona?

Adult Rufous-crowned Sparrow
Photo: Dan Fitzgerald (Fitz), CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Rufous-crowned Sparrows reach Arizona in mid February, are common by the second week of March, peak in the second week of August (5.1% of checklists), and most are gone by mid September.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 15-21mid February
Common byMar 8-14the second week of March
PeakAug 8-14the second week of August
Most gone bySep 15-21mid September

Best: the second week of August. First arrivals mid February; most are gone by mid September. Peak: on about 5.1% of Arizona checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 2.1% of 34758 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.8% of 29835 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.8% of 29279 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.8% of 39716 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.5% of 27299 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.6% of 28703 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.6% of 35357 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.9% of 29889 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.9% of 29932 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.8% of 32982 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.0% of 34731 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.2% of 50213 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.3% of 35788 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.5% of 38087 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.4% of 41520 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.5% of 55218 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.8% of 39688 checklistsMay 8-14: 3.1% of 39398 checklistsMay 15-21: 3.3% of 29562 checklistsMay 22-31: 3.4% of 36774 checklistsJun 1-7: 3.5% of 21313 checklistsJun 8-14: 3.3% of 19129 checklistsJun 15-21: 3.4% of 17922 checklistsJun 22-30: 3.7% of 21188 checklistsJul 1-7: 4.0% of 17325 checklistsJul 8-14: 5.0% of 16463 checklistsJul 15-21: 4.8% of 18642 checklistsJul 22-31: 4.8% of 31215 checklistsAug 1-7: 5.2% of 28163 checklistsAug 8-14: 5.2% of 31329 checklistsAug 15-21: 4.9% of 23878 checklistsAug 22-31: 4.1% of 28508 checklistsSep 1-7: 3.4% of 20878 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.6% of 19671 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.0% of 19859 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.8% of 25179 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.6% of 19420 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.4% of 21925 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.6% of 20995 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.7% of 29258 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.7% of 21269 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.7% of 22753 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.5% of 21982 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.9% of 29475 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.9% of 20810 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.0% of 22229 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.6% of 25148 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.0% of 39567 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 Arizona 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 Arizona

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Santa Cruz CountyBest the second week of July · 1914 checklists that week, 162,726 in all13%
  2. Greenlee CountyBest late July · 72 checklists that week, 2,745 in all9.9%
  3. Cochise CountyBest the second week of July · 2516 checklists that week, 190,093 in all9.5%
  4. Gila CountyBest mid July · 329 checklists that week, 14,834 in all6.0%
  5. Graham CountyBest mid July · 364 checklists that week, 9,876 in all5.3%
  6. Yavapai CountyBest mid July · 1070 checklists that week, 83,606 in all5.1%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Miller Peak Wilderness (Hunter Spring)Cochise County, best late July · 29 checklists that week, 581 in all72%
  2. Yanks CanyonSanta Cruz County, best the second week of August · 33 checklists that week, 421 in all67%
  3. Coronado National Forest (Mine Shaft Spring)Santa Cruz County, best the second week of August · 27 checklists that week, 291 in all64%
  4. Coronado National Forest (Rock Tank)Santa Cruz County, best the second week of August · 25 checklists that week, 253 in all58%
  5. Tonto National Forest (northeast)Maricopa County, best early September · 40 checklists that week, 729 in all58%
  6. Coronado National Forest (Road Tank)Cochise County, best early May · 24 checklists that week, 515 in all58%

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

Best time of day

In Arizona, the Rufous-crowned Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 am (4.9% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (488) to judge1 am: too few checklists (503) to judge2 am: too few checklists (489) to judge3 am: too few checklists (735) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4115) to judge5 am: 5.2% of 38350 checklists6 am: 4.8% of 118786 checklists7 am: 3.8% of 183415 checklists8 am: 2.8% of 187346 checklists9 am: 2.5% of 151342 checklists10 am: 2.1% of 124522 checklists11 am: 1.9% of 97088 checklists12 pm: 1.8% of 78110 checklists1 pm: 1.6% of 73059 checklists2 pm: 1.6% of 68912 checklists3 pm: 1.5% of 68060 checklists4 pm: 1.4% of 69387 checklists5 pm: 1.6% of 52951 checklists6 pm: 2.2% of 31061 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (16076) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (5352) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2369) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1100) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (604) 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%1.8%1.8%1.8%
February1.5%1.6%1.6%1.9%
March1.9%1.8%2.0%2.2%
April2.3%2.5%2.4%2.5%
May2.8%3.1%3.3%3.4%
June3.5%3.3%3.4%3.7%
July4.0%5.0%4.8%4.8%
August5.2%5.2%4.9%4.1%
September3.4%2.6%2.0%1.8%
October1.6%1.4%1.6%1.7%
November1.7%1.7%1.5%1.9%
December1.9%2.0%2.6%2.0%

Neighboring states

  • New Mexico: year-round, peaks late July
  • California: arrives mid January, 4 weeks earlier than Arizona
  • Texas: arrives late January, 3 weeks earlier than Arizona
  • Oklahoma: arrives late February, 1 week later than Arizona

Common questions

When do Rufous-crowned Sparrows arrive in Arizona?
Rufous-crowned Sparrows reach Arizona in mid February, are common by the second week of March, peak in the second week of August (5.1% of checklists), and most are gone by mid September.
When do Rufous-crowned Sparrows leave Arizona?
Most Rufous-crowned Sparrows have left Arizona by mid September, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early October.
When is the best time to see a Rufous-crowned Sparrow in Arizona?
The Rufous-crowned Sparrow is reported most often in the second week of August, on about 5.1% of Arizona checklists.
Where in Arizona are Rufous-crowned Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Santa Cruz County, Greenlee County, and Cochise County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Rufous-crowned Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).