WhenToBird

Aimophila ruficeps · Passerellidae

When Do Rufous-crowned Sparrows Arrive in Texas?

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

Rufous-crowned Sparrows arrive in Texas in late January, peak in early June (2.3% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of January.

When to look

First arrivalsJan 22-31late January
Common byJan 22-31late January
PeakJun 1-7early June
Most gone byJan 8-14the second week of January

Best: early June. First arrivals late January; most are gone by the second week of January. Peak: on about 2.3% of Texas checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 0.6% of 66038 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.6% of 52445 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.6% of 52985 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.6% of 71020 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.9% of 52306 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.7% of 55887 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.8% of 69016 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.8% of 52998 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.9% of 50836 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.2% of 51749 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.3% of 53731 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.4% of 82049 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.6% of 65854 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.3% of 78434 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.3% of 92302 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.6% of 122878 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.7% of 74592 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.8% of 61008 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.1% of 43365 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.3% of 52736 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.3% of 31643 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.3% of 30131 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.2% of 26802 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.0% of 32822 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.8% of 27213 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.8% of 24555 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.8% of 24146 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.8% of 34536 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.7% of 25764 checklistsAug 8-14: 2.1% of 26347 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.1% of 28431 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.9% of 42838 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.3% of 35070 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.3% of 33893 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.0% of 32572 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.9% of 43771 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.0% of 34143 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.8% of 37563 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.8% of 36263 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.8% of 49170 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.8% of 43301 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.7% of 48744 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.9% of 42213 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.9% of 54455 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.8% of 40166 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.9% of 41035 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.0% of 46983 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.7% 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. Edwards CountyBest late June · 39 checklists that week, 1,141 in all46%
  2. Culberson CountyBest mid July · 36 checklists that week, 5,249 in all40%
  3. Jeff Davis CountyBest late July · 438 checklists that week, 21,421 in all37%
  4. Real CountyBest the second week of July · 29 checklists that week, 4,015 in all36%
  5. Mills CountyBest early August · 14 checklists that week, 1,074 in all30%
  6. Terrell CountyBest the second week of July · 13 checklists that week, 1,174 in all30%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Milton Reimers Ranch ParkTravis County, best early June · 35 checklists that week, 2,298 in all76%
  2. Big Bend National Park (Boot Rock)Brewster County, best late May · 24 checklists that week, 367 in all63%
  3. Big Bend National Park (west 5)Brewster County, best late May · 23 checklists that week, 562 in all61%
  4. Big Bend National Park (Panther Pass)Brewster County, best early May · 21 checklists that week, 330 in all61%
  5. Davis Mountains Fee (Madera Tank)Jeff Davis County, best late August · 31 checklists that week, 178 in all60%
  6. Big Bend National Park (west 4)Brewster County, best mid May · 41 checklists that week, 601 in all59%

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

Best time of day

In Texas, the Rufous-crowned Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (2.1% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%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: 2.5% of 74687 checklists7 am: 2.1% of 285131 checklists8 am: 1.7% of 329960 checklists9 am: 1.4% of 267889 checklists10 am: 1.2% of 218205 checklists11 am: 0.9% of 178879 checklists12 pm: 0.8% of 153722 checklists1 pm: 0.8% of 144662 checklists2 pm: 0.8% of 138578 checklists3 pm: 0.8% of 136878 checklists4 pm: 0.7% of 137550 checklists5 pm: 0.7% of 113599 checklists6 pm: 0.9% of 81743 checklists7 pm: 1.1% 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
January0.6%0.6%0.6%0.6%
February0.9%0.7%0.8%0.8%
March0.9%1.2%1.3%1.4%
April1.6%1.3%1.3%1.6%
May1.7%1.8%2.1%2.3%
June2.3%2.3%2.2%2.0%
July1.8%1.8%1.8%1.8%
August1.7%2.1%2.1%1.9%
September1.3%1.3%1.0%0.9%
October1.0%0.8%0.8%0.8%
November0.8%0.7%0.9%0.9%
December0.8%0.9%1.0%0.7%

Neighboring states

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

Common questions

When do Rufous-crowned Sparrows arrive in Texas?
Rufous-crowned Sparrows arrive in Texas in late January, peak in early June (2.3% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of January.
When do Rufous-crowned Sparrows leave Texas?
Most Rufous-crowned Sparrows have left Texas by the second week of January, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Rufous-crowned Sparrow in Texas?
The Rufous-crowned Sparrow is reported most often in early June, on about 2.3% of Texas checklists.
Where in Texas are Rufous-crowned Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Edwards County, Culberson County, and Jeff Davis County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Rufous-crowned Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).