WhenToBird

Melospiza georgiana · Passerellidae

When Do Swamp Sparrows Arrive in Florida?

Adult Swamp Sparrow
Photo: Sandra Keller, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Swamp Sparrows are winter birds in Florida: the first arrive in the second week of October, they are common by mid October, peak in late November (7.8% of checklists), and most are gone by early April.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 8-14the second week of October
Common byOct 15-21mid October
PeakNov 22-30late November
Most gone byApr 1-7early April

Best: late November. First arrivals the second week of October; most are gone by early April. Peak: on about 7.8% of Florida checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 5.6% of 74446 checklistsJan 8-14: 5.4% of 60074 checklistsJan 15-21: 5.2% of 62945 checklistsJan 22-31: 5.0% of 84954 checklistsFeb 1-7: 4.8% of 59204 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.9% of 63259 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.2% of 77150 checklistsFeb 22-28: 4.0% of 62850 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.3% of 58560 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.2% of 57756 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.3% of 54898 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.3% of 76702 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.7% of 55096 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.4% of 55892 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.0% of 59358 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.9% of 73124 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 47915 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 44114 checklistsMay 15-21: 0% of 31858 checklistsMay 22-31: 0% of 40723 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 31668 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 27802 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 26698 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 32346 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 23826 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 23071 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 22903 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 32952 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 25093 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 24888 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 26030 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 38612 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 31023 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 30022 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 31611 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 42108 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 36219 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.0% of 43113 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.4% of 40987 checklistsOct 22-31: 5.9% of 53457 checklistsNov 1-7: 7.6% of 38587 checklistsNov 8-14: 7.4% of 39208 checklistsNov 15-21: 7.5% of 39729 checklistsNov 22-30: 8.0% of 54965 checklistsDec 1-7: 7.8% of 42070 checklistsDec 8-14: 7.5% of 43424 checklistsDec 15-21: 7.2% of 50581 checklistsDec 22-31: 6.5% of 82405 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 Florida 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 Florida

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Calhoun CountyBest late November · 29 checklists that week, 570 in all38%
  2. Lake CountyBest early December · 1150 checklists that week, 40,995 in all25%
  3. Holmes CountyBest late November · 15 checklists that week, 726 in all22%
  4. Wakulla CountyBest early December · 562 checklists that week, 27,521 in all22%
  5. Franklin CountyBest early November · 436 checklists that week, 20,336 in all21%
  6. Jefferson CountyBest early November · 100 checklists that week, 4,323 in all21%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lake Woodruff National Wildlife RefugeVolusia County, best early November · 34 checklists that week, 1,818 in all86%
  2. Lake JacksonLeon County, best the second week of November · 45 checklists that week, 2,387 in all82%
  3. Clear Water LakeOrange County, best early November · 76 checklists that week, 1,907 in all77%
  4. Barr Hammock PreserveAlachua County, best late November · 25 checklists that week, 410 in all77%
  5. Rohden CoveLeon County, best mid November · 28 checklists that week, 870 in all74%

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

Best time of day

In Florida, the Swamp Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (5.5% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (771) to judge1 am: too few checklists (771) to judge2 am: too few checklists (701) to judge3 am: too few checklists (752) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1378) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9462) to judge6 am: 5.4% of 94591 checklists7 am: 5.5% of 296183 checklists8 am: 4.6% of 319987 checklists9 am: 3.5% of 254830 checklists10 am: 2.7% of 209480 checklists11 am: 2.4% of 163924 checklists12 pm: 2.2% of 133478 checklists1 pm: 2.2% of 125012 checklists2 pm: 2.2% of 125299 checklists3 pm: 2.3% of 131072 checklists4 pm: 2.2% of 134410 checklists5 pm: 1.6% of 113373 checklists6 pm: 0.7% of 69886 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (37509) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (8966) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2093) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1485) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (862) 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
January5.6%5.4%5.2%5.0%
February4.8%3.9%3.2%4.0%
March3.3%3.2%3.3%3.3%
April2.7%2.4%2.0%0.9%
May0.1%0.1%0%0%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0%0.1%
October0.1%1.0%3.4%5.9%
November7.6%7.4%7.5%8.0%
December7.8%7.5%7.2%6.5%

Neighboring states

  • Georgia: arrives the second week of October, in the same week than Florida
  • South Carolina: arrives the second week of October, in the same week than Florida
  • Alabama: arrives early October, 1 week earlier than Florida
  • Mississippi: arrives early October, 1 week earlier than Florida

Common questions

When do Swamp Sparrows arrive in Florida?
Swamp Sparrows are winter birds in Florida: the first arrive in the second week of October, they are common by mid October, peak in late November (7.8% of checklists), and most are gone by early April.
When do Swamp Sparrows leave Florida?
Most Swamp Sparrows have left Florida by early April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late April.
When is the best time to see a Swamp Sparrow in Florida?
The Swamp Sparrow is reported most often in late November, on about 7.8% of Florida checklists.
Where in Florida are Swamp Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Calhoun County, Lake County, and Holmes County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Swamp Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).