WhenToBird

Melospiza melodia · Passerellidae

When Do Song Sparrows Arrive in Wyoming?

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

Song Sparrows are in Wyoming all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from late March, peak in early May (21% of checklists), and fall back by early August. In the quietest week (mid January) they are still on about 2.6% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMar 22-31late March
PeakMay 1-7early May
Fall back byAug 1-7early August
FewestJan 15-21mid January

Best: early May. Here all year; numbers build from late March and fall back by early August. Peak: on about 21% of Wyoming checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 3.6% of 2543 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.5% of 2114 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.5% of 1984 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.9% of 2605 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.5% of 1940 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.4% of 1954 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.3% of 2575 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.3% of 1932 checklistsMar 1-7: 4.9% of 2486 checklistsMar 8-14: 6.3% of 2535 checklistsMar 15-21: 10% of 2726 checklistsMar 22-31: 12% of 4349 checklistsApr 1-7: 16% of 3300 checklistsApr 8-14: 18% of 3500 checklistsApr 15-21: 19% of 3701 checklistsApr 22-30: 21% of 5887 checklistsMay 1-7: 21% of 5341 checklistsMay 8-14: 21% of 6910 checklistsMay 15-21: 19% of 6884 checklistsMay 22-31: 19% of 10652 checklistsJun 1-7: 17% of 6807 checklistsJun 8-14: 18% of 6714 checklistsJun 15-21: 16% of 6708 checklistsJun 22-30: 16% of 8160 checklistsJul 1-7: 17% of 5755 checklistsJul 8-14: 17% of 5379 checklistsJul 15-21: 18% of 5299 checklistsJul 22-31: 15% of 6830 checklistsAug 1-7: 12% of 4581 checklistsAug 8-14: 9.1% of 4625 checklistsAug 15-21: 8.3% of 4466 checklistsAug 22-31: 9.6% of 6562 checklistsSep 1-7: 10% of 4543 checklistsSep 8-14: 10% of 4652 checklistsSep 15-21: 9.7% of 4186 checklistsSep 22-30: 9.5% of 5301 checklistsOct 1-7: 9.8% of 3248 checklistsOct 8-14: 8.5% of 3010 checklistsOct 15-21: 8.0% of 2624 checklistsOct 22-31: 6.9% of 3170 checklistsNov 1-7: 4.8% of 2110 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.9% of 2153 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.9% of 1971 checklistsNov 22-30: 4.7% of 2136 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.1% of 1646 checklistsDec 8-14: 4.0% of 1609 checklistsDec 15-21: 5.3% of 1954 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.8% of 2392 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 Wyoming 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 Wyoming

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Sublette CountyBest mid April · 182 checklists that week, 6,738 in all46%
  2. Teton CountyBest mid April · 294 checklists that week, 34,686 in all39%
  3. Weston CountyBest mid October · 35 checklists that week, 2,297 in all36%
  4. Hot Springs CountyBest the second week of July · 35 checklists that week, 1,345 in all36%
  5. Big Horn CountyBest the second week of April · 43 checklists that week, 2,023 in all32%
  6. Lincoln CountyBest early July · 129 checklists that week, 3,169 in all30%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. South Park Wildlife Habitat Management AreaTeton County, best early August · 22 checklists that week, 756 in all92%
  2. Optomist ParkAlbany County, best the second week of May · 87 checklists that week, 2,101 in all86%
  3. Grand Teton National Park (southwest 2)Teton County, best late June · 58 checklists that week, 535 in all83%
  4. French CreekJohnson County, best late May · 21 checklists that week, 397 in all77%
  5. Town of Lander ParkFremont County, best mid June · 22 checklists that week, 894 in all72%

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

Best time of day

In Wyoming, the Song Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (17% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%12 am: too few checklists (59) to judge1 am: too few checklists (76) to judge2 am: too few checklists (86) to judge3 am: too few checklists (79) to judge4 am: too few checklists (326) to judge5 am: too few checklists (2271) to judge6 am: 16% of 8808 checklists7 am: 17% of 18458 checklists8 am: 17% of 22143 checklists9 am: 15% of 21499 checklists10 am: 13% of 19425 checklists11 am: 11% of 16017 checklists12 pm: 9.6% of 13868 checklists1 pm: 9.1% of 12984 checklists2 pm: 8.7% of 12605 checklists3 pm: 8.7% of 11821 checklists4 pm: 8.8% of 10571 checklists5 pm: 11% of 8746 checklists6 pm: 12% of 6707 checklists7 pm: 12% of 4890 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2323) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (554) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (134) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (59) 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
January3.6%2.5%2.5%2.9%
February3.5%2.4%3.3%3.3%
March4.9%6.3%10%12%
April16%18%19%21%
May21%21%19%19%
June17%18%16%16%
July17%17%18%15%
August12%9.1%8.3%9.6%
September10%10%9.7%9.5%
October9.8%8.5%8.0%6.9%
November4.8%3.9%3.9%4.7%
December4.1%4.0%5.3%3.8%

Neighboring states

  • Colorado: arrives early March, 3 weeks earlier than Wyoming
  • Utah: year-round, peaks late May
  • Montana: arrives the second week of March, 2 weeks earlier than Wyoming
  • Idaho: year-round, peaks mid March

Common questions

When do Song Sparrows arrive in Wyoming?
Song Sparrows are in Wyoming all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from late March, peak in early May (21% of checklists), and fall back by early August. In the quietest week (mid January) they are still on about 2.6% of checklists.
When do Song Sparrows leave Wyoming?
Song Sparrows never fully leave Wyoming: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by early August, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.6% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Song Sparrow in Wyoming?
The Song Sparrow is reported most often in early May, on about 21% of Wyoming checklists.
Where in Wyoming are Song Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Sublette County, Teton County, and Weston County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Song Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).