WhenToBird

Melospiza melodia · Passerellidae

Song Sparrow: When and Where to See It

Adult Song Sparrow
Photo: Bill Keim, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Song Sparrow reaches Indiana first, around late February, and Wyoming last, around late March.

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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0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 21% of 1114036 checklistsJan 8-14: 21% of 824708 checklistsJan 15-21: 21% of 825978 checklistsJan 22-31: 21% of 1105853 checklistsFeb 1-7: 21% of 779772 checklistsFeb 8-14: 21% of 864504 checklistsFeb 15-21: 21% of 1127933 checklistsFeb 22-28: 24% of 840124 checklistsMar 1-7: 26% of 839610 checklistsMar 8-14: 29% of 870138 checklistsMar 15-21: 33% of 898456 checklistsMar 22-31: 35% of 1335637 checklistsApr 1-7: 35% of 1030617 checklistsApr 8-14: 35% of 1124024 checklistsApr 15-21: 34% of 1194575 checklistsApr 22-30: 34% of 1675723 checklistsMay 1-7: 36% of 1449080 checklistsMay 8-14: 36% of 1538353 checklistsMay 15-21: 37% of 1219898 checklistsMay 22-31: 36% of 1452282 checklistsJun 1-7: 35% of 900636 checklistsJun 8-14: 35% of 829907 checklistsJun 15-21: 35% of 773255 checklistsJun 22-30: 34% of 916255 checklistsJul 1-7: 35% of 717733 checklistsJul 8-14: 34% of 658223 checklistsJul 15-21: 33% of 638752 checklistsJul 22-31: 32% of 895727 checklistsAug 1-7: 29% of 655651 checklistsAug 8-14: 25% of 650038 checklistsAug 15-21: 22% of 654639 checklistsAug 22-31: 20% of 974928 checklistsSep 1-7: 19% of 765914 checklistsSep 8-14: 19% of 738674 checklistsSep 15-21: 20% of 750433 checklistsSep 22-30: 23% of 944196 checklistsOct 1-7: 26% of 760106 checklistsOct 8-14: 28% of 793131 checklistsOct 15-21: 29% of 728727 checklistsOct 22-31: 28% of 959954 checklistsNov 1-7: 26% of 709464 checklistsNov 8-14: 25% of 693424 checklistsNov 15-21: 24% of 653952 checklistsNov 22-30: 24% of 871137 checklistsDec 1-7: 23% of 627591 checklistsDec 8-14: 23% of 642427 checklistsDec 15-21: 24% of 775638 checklistsDec 22-31: 23% of 1132751 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Pooled across every state in the data, so it leans toward states with the most birders.

States, in order of first arrivals

StatePatternFirst arrivalsPeakMost gone byPeak %
IndianaAll year, most in springFeb 22-28Jul 8-14Aug 8-1449%
VermontSummer visitorMar 1-7Apr 15-21Oct 15-2163%
OhioAll year, most in springMar 1-7Jul 8-14Aug 8-1459%
WisconsinSummer visitorMar 1-7Jul 1-7Oct 8-1450%
ColoradoAll year, most in springMar 1-7May 1-7Jul 8-1425%
MinnesotaSummer visitorMar 8-14Jul 8-14Oct 8-1449%
IllinoisAll year, most in springMar 8-14Apr 1-7Aug 8-1443%
MontanaAll year, most in springMar 8-14May 1-7Aug 1-727%
South DakotaSummer visitorMar 8-14Apr 22-30Oct 22-3124%
New YorkAll year, most in summerMar 15-21Apr 1-7Aug 8-1456%
New HampshireAll year, most in summerMar 15-21Apr 8-14Aug 15-2153%
MichiganAll year, most in summerMar 15-21May 1-7Aug 8-1451%
IowaAll year, most in summerMar 15-21Apr 1-7Aug 15-2136%
NebraskaAll year, most in springMar 15-21Apr 8-14May 8-1424%
MaineAll year, most in summerMar 22-31Apr 8-14Oct 22-3158%
North DakotaSummer visitorMar 22-31May 8-14Oct 8-1435%
WyomingAll year, most in summerMar 22-31May 1-7Aug 1-721%
AlabamaWinter visitorOct 1-7Nov 15-21Mar 22-3122%
ArkansasWinter visitorOct 1-7Nov 8-14Apr 8-1420%
District of ColumbiaAll year, most in winterOct 8-14Mar 15-21May 8-1457%
MarylandAll year, most in winterOct 8-14Mar 15-21May 8-1447%
DelawareAll year, most in winterOct 8-14Nov 1-7May 8-1444%
South CarolinaWinter visitorOct 8-14Nov 15-21Mar 22-3124%
OklahomaWinter visitorOct 8-14Dec 8-14Apr 1-722%
MississippiWinter visitorOct 8-14Dec 8-14Mar 15-2116%
VirginiaAll year, most in winterOct 15-21Mar 8-14May 1-746%
North CarolinaAll year, most in winterOct 15-21Nov 8-14Apr 1-742%
TennesseeAll year, most in winterOct 15-21Mar 1-7May 1-738%
MissouriAll year, most in winterOct 15-21Mar 15-21Apr 22-3026%
LouisianaWinter visitorOct 15-21Dec 8-14Mar 8-1411%
TexasWinter visitorOct 15-21Dec 8-14Apr 1-79.7%
GeorgiaAll year, most in winterOct 22-31Nov 8-14May 15-2129%
FloridaWinter visitorNov 1-7Dec 1-7Mar 15-211.9%
New MexicoWinter visitorSep 15-21Dec 8-14Apr 1-719%
KansasWinter visitorSep 22-30Nov 1-7Apr 15-2123%
Rhode IslandYear-round–Jul 8-14–68%
MassachusettsYear-round–Jul 1-7–61%
PennsylvaniaYear-round–Apr 1-7–58%
West VirginiaYear-round–Mar 15-21–56%
ConnecticutYear-round–Apr 22-30–55%
WashingtonYear-round–Mar 22-31–54%
New JerseyYear-round–Mar 22-31–51%
OregonYear-round–Apr 8-14–47%
KentuckyYear-round–Mar 8-14–45%
CaliforniaYear-round–May 22-31–37%
IdahoYear-round–Mar 15-21–35%
UtahYear-round–May 22-31–28%
NevadaYear-round–Nov 8-14–21%
ArizonaYear-round–Mar 8-14–18%
AlaskaYear-round–Sep 22-30–17%

Winter visitor in: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Mississippi, North Carolina, Louisiana, Texas, Georgia, Florida, New Mexico, Kansas, District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, Tennessee, Missouri