WhenToBird

Melospiza melodia · Passerellidae

When Do Song Sparrows Arrive in California?

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

The Song Sparrow is in California all year. It turns up on about 37% of checklists at its peak (late May) and on 24% in its quietest week (early August).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekMay 22-31late May
Quietest weekAug 1-7early August

Best: late May. Here all year. Peak: on about 37% of California checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 26% of 112336 checklistsJan 8-14: 26% of 85518 checklistsJan 15-21: 27% of 86488 checklistsJan 22-31: 28% of 116174 checklistsFeb 1-7: 28% of 75171 checklistsFeb 8-14: 27% of 84467 checklistsFeb 15-21: 27% of 105683 checklistsFeb 22-28: 30% of 83396 checklistsMar 1-7: 31% of 77470 checklistsMar 8-14: 32% of 75180 checklistsMar 15-21: 33% of 80770 checklistsMar 22-31: 33% of 114116 checklistsApr 1-7: 34% of 84057 checklistsApr 8-14: 35% of 83692 checklistsApr 15-21: 36% of 89242 checklistsApr 22-30: 36% of 114289 checklistsMay 1-7: 36% of 85728 checklistsMay 8-14: 36% of 91984 checklistsMay 15-21: 37% of 75478 checklistsMay 22-31: 37% of 106250 checklistsJun 1-7: 36% of 70051 checklistsJun 8-14: 35% of 67485 checklistsJun 15-21: 34% of 66269 checklistsJun 22-30: 32% of 79172 checklistsJul 1-7: 29% of 62877 checklistsJul 8-14: 27% of 60328 checklistsJul 15-21: 25% of 59705 checklistsJul 22-31: 24% of 83796 checklistsAug 1-7: 24% of 60215 checklistsAug 8-14: 25% of 60172 checklistsAug 15-21: 27% of 59877 checklistsAug 22-31: 30% of 89107 checklistsSep 1-7: 33% of 72000 checklistsSep 8-14: 33% of 71228 checklistsSep 15-21: 35% of 76808 checklistsSep 22-30: 35% of 100204 checklistsOct 1-7: 33% of 76571 checklistsOct 8-14: 31% of 80874 checklistsOct 15-21: 30% of 74581 checklistsOct 22-31: 29% of 97498 checklistsNov 1-7: 28% of 70851 checklistsNov 8-14: 27% of 72431 checklistsNov 15-21: 26% of 66767 checklistsNov 22-30: 27% of 94737 checklistsDec 1-7: 28% of 65393 checklistsDec 8-14: 27% of 67449 checklistsDec 15-21: 27% of 83421 checklistsDec 22-31: 27% of 124993 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 California 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in California

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. San Francisco CountyBest late May · 3391 checklists that week, 130,018 in all61%
  2. Humboldt CountyBest mid June · 1817 checklists that week, 95,963 in all59%
  3. Orange CountyBest late April · 6687 checklists that week, 244,559 in all58%
  4. Marin CountyBest early June · 2565 checklists that week, 135,728 in all57%
  5. San Diego CountyBest the second week of May · 8733 checklists that week, 405,465 in all55%
  6. Monterey CountyBest late May · 3170 checklists that week, 132,505 in all47%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Sacramento Regional County Sanitation DistrictSacramento County, best early August · 59 checklists that week, 2,065 in all100%
  2. Tunitas Creek Open Space PreserveSan Mateo County, best late May · 21 checklists that week, 312 in all100%
  3. Golden Gate National Recreation Area (Moss Beach)San Mateo County, best late August · 21 checklists that week, 222 in all100%
  4. Poway Community ParkSan Diego County, best late September · 23 checklists that week, 621 in all100%
  5. Frog Pond Wetland PreserveMonterey County, best the second week of June · 21 checklists that week, 1,111 in all100%
  6. Cottonwood Creek ParkSan Diego County, best early April · 21 checklists that week, 844 in all100%

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

Best time of day

In California, the Song Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (38% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%40%12 am: too few checklists (1688) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1451) to judge2 am: too few checklists (1402) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1743) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4647) to judge5 am: too few checklists (32158) to judge6 am: 34% of 186053 checklists7 am: 38% of 444086 checklists8 am: 38% of 535846 checklists9 am: 35% of 486061 checklists10 am: 32% of 411130 checklists11 am: 29% of 325798 checklists12 pm: 26% of 269132 checklists1 pm: 25% of 244762 checklists2 pm: 24% of 235420 checklists3 pm: 23% of 232365 checklists4 pm: 24% of 208688 checklists5 pm: 25% of 146104 checklists6 pm: 23% of 96867 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (50942) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (14803) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5561) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (3546) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (2092) 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
January26%26%27%28%
February28%27%27%30%
March31%32%33%33%
April34%35%36%36%
May36%36%37%37%
June36%35%34%32%
July29%27%25%24%
August24%25%27%30%
September33%33%35%35%
October33%31%30%29%
November28%27%26%27%
December28%27%27%27%

Neighboring states

  • Nevada: year-round, peaks the second week of November
  • Utah: year-round, peaks late May
  • Arizona: year-round, peaks the second week of March
  • Oregon: year-round, peaks the second week of April

Common questions

When do Song Sparrows arrive in California?
The Song Sparrow is in California all year. It turns up on about 37% of checklists at its peak (late May) and on 24% in its quietest week (early August).
When do Song Sparrows leave California?
The Song Sparrow does not leave California: it is reported all year, from 24% of checklists in early August to 37% in late May.
When is the best time to see a Song Sparrow in California?
The Song Sparrow is reported most often in late May, on about 37% of California checklists.
Where in California are Song Sparrows seen most often?
By county, San Francisco County, Humboldt County, and Orange County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Song Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).