WhenToBird

Melospiza melodia · Passerellidae

When Do Song Sparrows Arrive in New York?

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

Song Sparrows are in New York all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from mid March, peak in early April (56% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of August. In the quietest week (the second week of January) they are still on about 16% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMar 15-21mid March
PeakApr 1-7early April
Fall back byAug 8-14the second week of August
FewestJan 8-14the second week of January

Best: early April. Here all year; numbers build from mid March and fall back by the second week of August. Peak: on about 56% of New York checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 16% of 66410 checklistsJan 8-14: 17% of 49310 checklistsJan 15-21: 16% of 49919 checklistsJan 22-31: 17% of 62513 checklistsFeb 1-7: 17% of 43526 checklistsFeb 8-14: 17% of 49753 checklistsFeb 15-21: 16% of 65147 checklistsFeb 22-28: 19% of 50173 checklistsMar 1-7: 24% of 50325 checklistsMar 8-14: 33% of 55371 checklistsMar 15-21: 45% of 56293 checklistsMar 22-31: 54% of 82677 checklistsApr 1-7: 58% of 65295 checklistsApr 8-14: 57% of 73080 checklistsApr 15-21: 54% of 73857 checklistsApr 22-30: 53% of 106093 checklistsMay 1-7: 52% of 102772 checklistsMay 8-14: 50% of 110051 checklistsMay 15-21: 51% of 94797 checklistsMay 22-31: 52% of 101272 checklistsJun 1-7: 54% of 59471 checklistsJun 8-14: 53% of 55497 checklistsJun 15-21: 55% of 51761 checklistsJun 22-30: 54% of 59219 checklistsJul 1-7: 55% of 48226 checklistsJul 8-14: 55% of 42315 checklistsJul 15-21: 55% of 40637 checklistsJul 22-31: 52% of 57183 checklistsAug 1-7: 46% of 40461 checklistsAug 8-14: 39% of 39880 checklistsAug 15-21: 33% of 41146 checklistsAug 22-31: 29% of 63381 checklistsSep 1-7: 27% of 48640 checklistsSep 8-14: 27% of 47882 checklistsSep 15-21: 29% of 49063 checklistsSep 22-30: 35% of 57906 checklistsOct 1-7: 43% of 48447 checklistsOct 8-14: 44% of 51901 checklistsOct 15-21: 43% of 46717 checklistsOct 22-31: 37% of 61992 checklistsNov 1-7: 29% of 44593 checklistsNov 8-14: 24% of 42566 checklistsNov 15-21: 22% of 39675 checklistsNov 22-30: 20% of 51197 checklistsDec 1-7: 19% of 36567 checklistsDec 8-14: 20% of 37254 checklistsDec 15-21: 22% of 43754 checklistsDec 22-31: 20% of 62470 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 New York 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 New York

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Chautauqua CountyBest the second week of June · 634 checklists that week, 35,772 in all76%
  2. Genesee CountyBest the second week of July · 282 checklists that week, 17,726 in all74%
  3. Orleans CountyBest mid June · 348 checklists that week, 16,706 in all74%
  4. Tioga CountyBest late June · 510 checklists that week, 21,713 in all74%
  5. Cayuga CountyBest the second week of July · 337 checklists that week, 20,184 in all73%
  6. Seneca CountyBest late June · 819 checklists that week, 47,387 in all73%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Little Bay (Orient Point)Suffolk County, best the second week of October · 21 checklists that week, 128 in all100%
  2. VLG of CROTON LandWestchester County, best late April · 24 checklists that week, 515 in all100%
  3. Mountain Top ArboretumGreene County, best mid July · 22 checklists that week, 320 in all100%
  4. National Audubon Society LandsDutchess County, best the second week of April · 25 checklists that week, 596 in all100%
  5. Stonykill Environmental Education CenterDutchess County, best early November · 21 checklists that week, 893 in all100%

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

Best time of day

In New York, the Song Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (49% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%12 am: too few checklists (1146) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1055) to judge2 am: too few checklists (1121) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1353) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4785) to judge5 am: too few checklists (32052) to judge6 am: 54% of 124869 checklists7 am: 47% of 298506 checklists8 am: 43% of 337334 checklists9 am: 42% of 307787 checklists10 am: 39% of 270801 checklists11 am: 36% of 233238 checklists12 pm: 34% of 213830 checklists1 pm: 32% of 193321 checklists2 pm: 31% of 180741 checklists3 pm: 30% of 170348 checklists4 pm: 33% of 147224 checklists5 pm: 36% of 111962 checklists6 pm: 38% of 78261 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (44425) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (15648) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4795) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2454) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1378) 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
January16%17%16%17%
February17%17%16%19%
March24%33%45%54%
April58%57%54%53%
May52%50%51%52%
June54%53%55%54%
July55%55%55%52%
August46%39%33%29%
September27%27%29%35%
October43%44%43%37%
November29%24%22%20%
December19%20%22%20%

Neighboring states

Common questions

When do Song Sparrows arrive in New York?
Song Sparrows are in New York all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from mid March, peak in early April (56% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of August. In the quietest week (the second week of January) they are still on about 16% of checklists.
When do Song Sparrows leave New York?
Song Sparrows never fully leave New York: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by the second week of August, but some are still reported in every week, about 16% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Song Sparrow in New York?
The Song Sparrow is reported most often in early April, on about 56% of New York checklists.
Where in New York are Song Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Chautauqua County, Genesee County, and Orleans County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Song Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).