WhenToBird

Melospiza melodia · Passerellidae

When Do Song Sparrows Arrive in Montana?

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

Song Sparrows are in Montana all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from the second week of March, peak in early May (27% of checklists), and fall back by early August. In the quietest week (early February) they are still on about 9.4% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMar 8-14the second week of March
PeakMay 1-7early May
Fall back byAug 1-7early August
FewestFeb 1-7early February

Best: early May. Here all year; numbers build from the second week of March and fall back by early August. Peak: on about 27% of Montana checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 11% of 7987 checklistsJan 8-14: 10% of 5561 checklistsJan 15-21: 11% of 5613 checklistsJan 22-31: 9.3% of 7881 checklistsFeb 1-7: 8.9% of 5018 checklistsFeb 8-14: 10% of 5598 checklistsFeb 15-21: 9.4% of 7247 checklistsFeb 22-28: 11% of 5531 checklistsMar 1-7: 15% of 6110 checklistsMar 8-14: 17% of 6623 checklistsMar 15-21: 22% of 7687 checklistsMar 22-31: 23% of 11095 checklistsApr 1-7: 26% of 7774 checklistsApr 8-14: 26% of 8785 checklistsApr 15-21: 26% of 9684 checklistsApr 22-30: 27% of 13805 checklistsMay 1-7: 27% of 11847 checklistsMay 8-14: 26% of 13547 checklistsMay 15-21: 26% of 13019 checklistsMay 22-31: 25% of 20456 checklistsJun 1-7: 25% of 12993 checklistsJun 8-14: 23% of 11594 checklistsJun 15-21: 24% of 11159 checklistsJun 22-30: 24% of 13786 checklistsJul 1-7: 24% of 9584 checklistsJul 8-14: 23% of 9078 checklistsJul 15-21: 24% of 7905 checklistsJul 22-31: 22% of 10906 checklistsAug 1-7: 18% of 7335 checklistsAug 8-14: 15% of 6868 checklistsAug 15-21: 15% of 6866 checklistsAug 22-31: 15% of 10076 checklistsSep 1-7: 16% of 7670 checklistsSep 8-14: 17% of 7490 checklistsSep 15-21: 16% of 6804 checklistsSep 22-30: 16% of 8016 checklistsOct 1-7: 18% of 5996 checklistsOct 8-14: 17% of 6156 checklistsOct 15-21: 17% of 5742 checklistsOct 22-31: 16% of 7790 checklistsNov 1-7: 15% of 5353 checklistsNov 8-14: 16% of 5475 checklistsNov 15-21: 14% of 4603 checklistsNov 22-30: 13% of 6067 checklistsDec 1-7: 13% of 4362 checklistsDec 8-14: 14% of 4467 checklistsDec 15-21: 13% of 5328 checklistsDec 22-31: 11% of 6672 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 Montana 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 Montana

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Musselshell CountyBest mid September · 12 checklists that week, 961 in all44%
  2. Treasure CountyBest mid July · 14 checklists that week, 265 in all44%
  3. Sanders CountyBest late April · 114 checklists that week, 3,767 in all44%
  4. Missoula CountyBest the second week of July · 1035 checklists that week, 64,368 in all42%
  5. Deer Lodge CountyBest early June · 225 checklists that week, 8,732 in all41%
  6. Granite CountyBest the second week of April · 65 checklists that week, 1,737 in all40%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. East Gallatin Recreation Area (Bridger Creek)Gallatin County, best late May · 71 checklists that week, 988 in all92%
  2. Thompson Falls ReservoirSanders County, best late April · 24 checklists that week, 414 in all91%
  3. Gardner ParkGallatin County, best the second week of May · 73 checklists that week, 2,009 in all90%
  4. Greenough ParkMissoula County, best mid July · 66 checklists that week, 2,749 in all88%

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

Best time of day

In Montana, the Song Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (25% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (183) to judge1 am: too few checklists (169) to judge2 am: too few checklists (163) to judge3 am: too few checklists (212) to judge4 am: too few checklists (503) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4022) to judge6 am: 26% of 12719 checklists7 am: 25% of 31202 checklists8 am: 25% of 47646 checklists9 am: 23% of 44624 checklists10 am: 21% of 40704 checklists11 am: 19% of 33825 checklists12 pm: 17% of 29407 checklists1 pm: 16% of 27959 checklists2 pm: 15% of 26928 checklists3 pm: 14% of 25313 checklists4 pm: 14% of 22151 checklists5 pm: 16% of 16884 checklists6 pm: 17% of 13780 checklists7 pm: 18% of 9926 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (5765) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2099) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (595) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (230) 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
January11%10%11%9.3%
February8.9%10%9.4%11%
March15%17%22%23%
April26%26%26%27%
May27%26%26%25%
June25%23%24%24%
July24%23%24%22%
August18%15%15%15%
September16%17%16%16%
October18%17%17%16%
November15%16%14%13%
December13%14%13%11%

Neighboring states

  • Idaho: year-round, peaks mid March
  • Wyoming: arrives late March, 2 weeks later than Montana
  • Utah: year-round, peaks late May
  • Washington: year-round, peaks late March

Common questions

When do Song Sparrows arrive in Montana?
Song Sparrows are in Montana all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from the second week of March, peak in early May (27% of checklists), and fall back by early August. In the quietest week (early February) they are still on about 9.4% of checklists.
When do Song Sparrows leave Montana?
Song Sparrows never fully leave Montana: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by early August, but some are still reported in every week, about 9.4% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Song Sparrow in Montana?
The Song Sparrow is reported most often in early May, on about 27% of Montana checklists.
Where in Montana are Song Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Musselshell County, Treasure County, and Sanders County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Song Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).