WhenToBird

Melospiza melodia · Passerellidae

When Do Song Sparrows Arrive in Oregon?

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

The Song Sparrow is in Oregon all year. It turns up on about 47% of checklists at its peak (the second week of April) and on 27% in its quietest week (the second week of August).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekApr 8-14the second week of April
Quietest weekAug 8-14the second week of August

Best: the second week of April. Here all year. Peak: on about 47% of Oregon checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 43% of 34973 checklistsJan 8-14: 42% of 26807 checklistsJan 15-21: 41% of 26567 checklistsJan 22-31: 43% of 36019 checklistsFeb 1-7: 44% of 24020 checklistsFeb 8-14: 43% of 25765 checklistsFeb 15-21: 42% of 31019 checklistsFeb 22-28: 45% of 24582 checklistsMar 1-7: 46% of 24834 checklistsMar 8-14: 46% of 24642 checklistsMar 15-21: 47% of 27420 checklistsMar 22-31: 46% of 39913 checklistsApr 1-7: 48% of 28817 checklistsApr 8-14: 47% of 31221 checklistsApr 15-21: 47% of 34402 checklistsApr 22-30: 47% of 47144 checklistsMay 1-7: 46% of 37716 checklistsMay 8-14: 45% of 39651 checklistsMay 15-21: 44% of 37496 checklistsMay 22-31: 41% of 56967 checklistsJun 1-7: 40% of 35893 checklistsJun 8-14: 41% of 31880 checklistsJun 15-21: 41% of 30942 checklistsJun 22-30: 39% of 38478 checklistsJul 1-7: 41% of 27409 checklistsJul 8-14: 41% of 25161 checklistsJul 15-21: 38% of 25473 checklistsJul 22-31: 33% of 33920 checklistsAug 1-7: 28% of 24310 checklistsAug 8-14: 26% of 23675 checklistsAug 15-21: 26% of 23623 checklistsAug 22-31: 28% of 33762 checklistsSep 1-7: 33% of 25120 checklistsSep 8-14: 35% of 24458 checklistsSep 15-21: 39% of 25528 checklistsSep 22-30: 41% of 31631 checklistsOct 1-7: 42% of 25498 checklistsOct 8-14: 43% of 25161 checklistsOct 15-21: 42% of 23701 checklistsOct 22-31: 43% of 30996 checklistsNov 1-7: 42% of 21089 checklistsNov 8-14: 43% of 21880 checklistsNov 15-21: 43% of 21501 checklistsNov 22-30: 44% of 28930 checklistsDec 1-7: 45% of 19807 checklistsDec 8-14: 45% of 21022 checklistsDec 15-21: 43% of 24817 checklistsDec 22-31: 45% of 37592 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 Oregon 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 Oregon

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Multnomah CountyBest late April · 6833 checklists that week, 182,088 in all75%
  2. Washington CountyBest the second week of May · 3091 checklists that week, 110,376 in all74%
  3. Clackamas CountyBest late March · 1418 checklists that week, 50,929 in all69%
  4. Columbia CountyBest the second week of December · 443 checklists that week, 27,750 in all64%
  5. Yamhill CountyBest the second week of June · 267 checklists that week, 11,537 in all62%
  6. Marion CountyBest mid June · 960 checklists that week, 52,870 in all59%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. First LakeLinn County, best the second week of April · 32 checklists that week, 1,730 in all100%
  2. Teloh Calapooia ParkLinn County, best the second week of May · 22 checklists that week, 395 in all100%
  3. Wapato Lake National Wildlife Refuge (Wapato Lake Bed)Yamhill County, best late September · 22 checklists that week, 176 in all100%
  4. Bluff above Swan IslandMultnomah County, best early April · 26 checklists that week, 899 in all100%
  5. Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge (southeast)Marion County, best the second week of July · 24 checklists that week, 1,522 in all100%

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

Best time of day

In Oregon, the Song Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (51% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%12 am: too few checklists (1505) to judge1 am: too few checklists (675) to judge2 am: too few checklists (626) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1641) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3696) to judge5 am: too few checklists (14524) to judge6 am: 45% of 50677 checklists7 am: 51% of 125347 checklists8 am: 51% of 163668 checklists9 am: 49% of 160351 checklists10 am: 46% of 148940 checklists11 am: 43% of 124743 checklists12 pm: 40% of 112537 checklists1 pm: 39% of 98999 checklists2 pm: 37% of 94690 checklists3 pm: 37% of 87923 checklists4 pm: 34% of 75235 checklists5 pm: 32% of 54504 checklists6 pm: 30% of 40469 checklists7 pm: 21% of 33675 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (18715) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5839) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2704) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1549) 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
January43%42%41%43%
February44%43%42%45%
March46%46%47%46%
April48%47%47%47%
May46%45%44%41%
June40%41%41%39%
July41%41%38%33%
August28%26%26%28%
September33%35%39%41%
October42%43%42%43%
November42%43%43%44%
December45%45%43%45%

Neighboring states

  • Washington: year-round, peaks late March
  • Idaho: year-round, peaks mid March
  • Nevada: year-round, peaks the second week of November
  • California: year-round, peaks late May

Common questions

When do Song Sparrows arrive in Oregon?
The Song Sparrow is in Oregon all year. It turns up on about 47% of checklists at its peak (the second week of April) and on 27% in its quietest week (the second week of August).
When do Song Sparrows leave Oregon?
The Song Sparrow does not leave Oregon: it is reported all year, from 27% of checklists in the second week of August to 47% in the second week of April.
When is the best time to see a Song Sparrow in Oregon?
The Song Sparrow is reported most often in the second week of April, on about 47% of Oregon checklists.
Where in Oregon are Song Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Multnomah County, Washington County, and Clackamas County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Song Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).