WhenToBird

Melospiza melodia · Passerellidae

When Do Song Sparrows Arrive in Florida?

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

Song Sparrows are winter birds in Florida: they arrive in early November, peak in early December (1.9% of checklists), and most are gone by mid March.

When to look

First arrivalsNov 1-7early November
Common byNov 1-7early November
PeakDec 1-7early December
Most gone byMar 15-21mid March

Best: early December. First arrivals early November; most are gone by mid March. Peak: on about 1.9% of Florida checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%Jan 1-7: 1.7% of 74446 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.6% of 60074 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.5% of 62945 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.4% of 84954 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.5% of 59204 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.4% of 63259 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.3% of 77150 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.5% of 62850 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.3% of 58560 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.2% of 57756 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.9% of 54898 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.7% of 76702 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.4% of 55096 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.2% of 55892 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 59358 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 73124 checklistsMay 1-7: 0% of 47915 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 44114 checklistsMay 15-21: 0% of 31858 checklistsMay 22-31: 0% of 40723 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 31668 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 27802 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 26698 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 32346 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 23826 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 23071 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 22903 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 32952 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 25093 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 24888 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 26030 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 38612 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 31023 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 30022 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 31611 checklistsSep 22-30: 0% of 42108 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 36219 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 43113 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.2% of 40987 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.6% of 53457 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.5% of 38587 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.6% of 39208 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.9% of 39729 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.0% of 54965 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.8% of 42070 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.9% of 43424 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.8% of 50581 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.7% of 82405 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 Florida 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 Florida

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Calhoun CountyBest late November · 29 checklists that week, 570 in all40%
  2. Washington CountyBest early December · 42 checklists that week, 1,773 in all26%
  3. Jackson CountyBest late December · 123 checklists that week, 1,959 in all18%
  4. Okaloosa CountyBest the second week of November · 343 checklists that week, 16,003 in all18%
  5. Dixie CountyBest the second week of January · 22 checklists that week, 2,113 in all15%
  6. Jefferson CountyBest early December · 116 checklists that week, 4,323 in all15%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Newnans Lake State Forest (northeast)Alachua County, best the second week of December · 30 checklists that week, 474 in all58%
  2. Lake JacksonLeon County, best late November · 52 checklists that week, 2,387 in all53%
  3. Van Brunt ArmLeon County, best early December · 34 checklists that week, 812 in all47%
  4. Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park (southeast)Alachua County, best the second week of November · 44 checklists that week, 1,127 in all44%

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

Best time of day

In Florida, the Song Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (1.1% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%12 am: too few checklists (771) to judge1 am: too few checklists (771) to judge2 am: too few checklists (701) to judge3 am: too few checklists (752) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1378) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9462) to judge6 am: 1.0% of 94591 checklists7 am: 1.1% of 296183 checklists8 am: 1.2% of 319987 checklists9 am: 1.0% of 254830 checklists10 am: 0.8% of 209480 checklists11 am: 0.7% of 163924 checklists12 pm: 0.7% of 133478 checklists1 pm: 0.7% of 125012 checklists2 pm: 0.7% of 125299 checklists3 pm: 0.7% of 131072 checklists4 pm: 0.6% of 134410 checklists5 pm: 0.4% of 113373 checklists6 pm: 0.1% of 69886 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (37509) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (8966) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2093) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1485) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (862) 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
January1.7%1.6%1.5%1.4%
February1.5%1.4%1.3%1.5%
March1.3%1.2%0.9%0.7%
April0.4%0.2%0.1%0.1%
May0%0.1%0%0%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0%0%
October0.1%0.1%0.2%0.6%
November1.5%1.6%1.9%2.0%
December1.8%1.9%1.8%1.7%

Neighboring states

  • Georgia: arrives late October, 1 week earlier than Florida
  • South Carolina: arrives the second week of October, 3 weeks earlier than Florida
  • Alabama: arrives early October, 4 weeks earlier than Florida
  • Mississippi: arrives the second week of October, 3 weeks earlier than Florida

Common questions

When do Song Sparrows arrive in Florida?
Song Sparrows are winter birds in Florida: they arrive in early November, peak in early December (1.9% of checklists), and most are gone by mid March.
When do Song Sparrows leave Florida?
Most Song Sparrows have left Florida by mid March, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Song Sparrow in Florida?
The Song Sparrow is reported most often in early December, on about 1.9% of Florida checklists.
Where in Florida are Song Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Calhoun County, Washington County, and Jackson County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Song Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).