WhenToBird

Pipilo maculatus · Passerellidae

When Do Spotted Towhees Arrive in Texas?

Adult male Spotted Towhee
Photo: Tser, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Spotted Towhees are winter birds in Texas: the first arrive in the second week of October, they are common by mid October, peak in the second week of December (4.8% of checklists), and most are gone by mid April.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 8-14the second week of October
Common byOct 15-21mid October
PeakDec 8-14the second week of December
Most gone byApr 15-21mid April

Best: the second week of December. First arrivals the second week of October; most are gone by mid April. Peak: on about 4.8% of Texas checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junrare
  7. Julrare
  8. Augrare
  9. Seprare
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 3.4% of 66038 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.4% of 52445 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.4% of 52985 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.5% of 71020 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.5% of 52306 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.2% of 55887 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.2% of 69016 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.4% of 52998 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.4% of 50836 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.7% of 51749 checklistsMar 15-21: 4.0% of 53731 checklistsMar 22-31: 4.2% of 82049 checklistsApr 1-7: 3.7% of 65854 checklistsApr 8-14: 3.0% of 78434 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.2% of 92302 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.6% of 122878 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.9% of 74592 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.5% of 61008 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.4% of 43365 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.4% of 52736 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.3% of 31643 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.4% of 30131 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.3% of 26802 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.2% of 32822 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.2% of 27213 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.4% of 24555 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.3% of 24146 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.2% of 34536 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.2% of 25764 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.5% of 26347 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.4% of 28431 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.4% of 42838 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.2% of 35070 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.2% of 33893 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 32572 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.3% of 43771 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.8% of 34143 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.2% of 37563 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.7% of 36263 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.3% of 49170 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.8% of 43301 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.4% of 48744 checklistsNov 15-21: 4.5% of 42213 checklistsNov 22-30: 4.6% of 54455 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.6% of 40166 checklistsDec 8-14: 4.8% of 41035 checklistsDec 15-21: 5.0% of 46983 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.1% of 73015 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 Texas 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 Texas

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Kimble CountyBest mid February · 374 checklists that week, 12,009 in all58%
  2. Culberson CountyBest the second week of November · 181 checklists that week, 5,249 in all51%
  3. Coleman CountyBest early April · 34 checklists that week, 1,413 in all50%
  4. Stonewall CountyBest late December · 14 checklists that week, 336 in all47%
  5. Edwards CountyBest late February · 16 checklists that week, 1,141 in all40%
  6. Callahan CountyBest the second week of April · 13 checklists that week, 599 in all38%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Palo Duro Canyon State ParkRandall County, best late February · 23 checklists that week, 1,069 in all96%
  2. Davis Mountains Fee (Madera Tank)Jeff Davis County, best late August · 31 checklists that week, 178 in all96%
  3. South Llano River State Park (Potter Creek)Kimble County, best late February · 53 checklists that week, 992 in all92%
  4. South Llano River State Park (northeast)Kimble County, best mid February · 42 checklists that week, 1,261 in all89%
  5. South Llano River State Park (east)Kimble County, best late March · 61 checklists that week, 977 in all84%
  6. Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife RefugeBurnet County, best the second week of December · 23 checklists that week, 1,532 in all84%

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

Best time of day

In Texas, the Spotted Towhee is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (3.4% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%12 am: too few checklists (898) to judge1 am: too few checklists (756) to judge2 am: too few checklists (663) to judge3 am: too few checklists (741) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1537) to judge5 am: too few checklists (6113) to judge6 am: 2.4% of 74687 checklists7 am: 3.4% of 285131 checklists8 am: 3.4% of 329960 checklists9 am: 3.0% of 267889 checklists10 am: 2.6% of 218205 checklists11 am: 2.2% of 178879 checklists12 pm: 2.0% of 153722 checklists1 pm: 1.9% of 144662 checklists2 pm: 2.0% of 138578 checklists3 pm: 1.9% of 136878 checklists4 pm: 1.9% of 137550 checklists5 pm: 1.6% of 113599 checklists6 pm: 0.9% of 81743 checklists7 pm: 0.6% of 53396 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (17221) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4048) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1965) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (990) 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
January3.4%3.4%3.4%3.5%
February3.5%3.2%3.2%3.4%
March3.4%3.7%4.0%4.2%
April3.7%3.0%2.2%1.6%
May0.9%0.5%0.4%0.4%
June0.3%0.4%0.3%0.2%
July0.2%0.4%0.3%0.2%
August0.2%0.5%0.4%0.4%
September0.2%0.2%0.1%0.3%
October0.8%1.2%2.7%3.3%
November3.8%3.4%4.5%4.6%
December4.6%4.8%5.0%4.1%

Neighboring states

  • Oklahoma: arrives early October, 1 week earlier than Texas
  • Kansas: arrives mid September, 3 weeks earlier than Texas
  • New Mexico: year-round, peaks early July
  • Nebraska: arrives the second week of April, 24 weeks earlier than Texas

Common questions

When do Spotted Towhees arrive in Texas?
Spotted Towhees are winter birds in Texas: the first arrive in the second week of October, they are common by mid October, peak in the second week of December (4.8% of checklists), and most are gone by mid April.
When do Spotted Towhees leave Texas?
Most Spotted Towhees have left Texas by mid April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early May.
When is the best time to see a Spotted Towhee in Texas?
The Spotted Towhee is reported most often in the second week of December, on about 4.8% of Texas checklists.
Where in Texas are Spotted Towhees seen most often?
By county, Kimble County, Culberson County, and Coleman County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Spotted Towhee (counties with at least 200 checklists).