WhenToBird

Zonotrichia leucophrys · Passerellidae

When Do White-crowned Sparrows Arrive in Kansas?

Adult White-crowned Sparrow
Photo: Alan Rockefeller, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

White-crowned Sparrows are winter birds in Kansas: the first arrive in late September, they are common by early October, peak in late October (16% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 22-30late September
Common byOct 1-7early October
PeakOct 22-31late October
Most gone byMay 8-14the second week of May

Best: late October. First arrivals late September; most are gone by the second week of May. Peak: on about 16% of Kansas checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Seprare
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 10% of 8683 checklistsJan 8-14: 10% of 5710 checklistsJan 15-21: 9.6% of 5453 checklistsJan 22-31: 8.6% of 7868 checklistsFeb 1-7: 8.4% of 5579 checklistsFeb 8-14: 7.2% of 6307 checklistsFeb 15-21: 7.5% of 7830 checklistsFeb 22-28: 6.5% of 6124 checklistsMar 1-7: 6.3% of 6442 checklistsMar 8-14: 6.9% of 6925 checklistsMar 15-21: 7.3% of 7257 checklistsMar 22-31: 7.4% of 11527 checklistsApr 1-7: 7.4% of 8908 checklistsApr 8-14: 8.2% of 11070 checklistsApr 15-21: 10% of 11050 checklistsApr 22-30: 16% of 16381 checklistsMay 1-7: 19% of 15899 checklistsMay 8-14: 8.8% of 15349 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.3% of 10474 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 11264 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 6783 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 5654 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 4716 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 6232 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 5073 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 4528 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 4210 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 5986 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 4661 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 4762 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 4823 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 7214 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 5989 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.2% of 5549 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.2% of 5255 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.6% of 7370 checklistsOct 1-7: 5.2% of 5829 checklistsOct 8-14: 11% of 6183 checklistsOct 15-21: 16% of 5504 checklistsOct 22-31: 17% of 7289 checklistsNov 1-7: 15% of 5535 checklistsNov 8-14: 13% of 5462 checklistsNov 15-21: 11% of 4929 checklistsNov 22-30: 9.8% of 6627 checklistsDec 1-7: 8.7% of 4670 checklistsDec 8-14: 9.7% of 4805 checklistsDec 15-21: 9.7% of 6341 checklistsDec 22-31: 9.9% of 8186 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 Kansas 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 Kansas

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Seward CountyBest late April · 16 checklists that week, 566 in all69%
  2. Morton CountyBest late November · 28 checklists that week, 4,009 in all67%
  3. Hamilton CountyBest late October · 22 checklists that week, 655 in all65%
  4. Kearny CountyBest mid October · 10 checklists that week, 452 in all62%
  5. Grant CountyBest mid October · 14 checklists that week, 344 in all57%
  6. Sherman CountyBest late October · 19 checklists that week, 1,243 in all53%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Pracht Wetlands ParkSedgwick County, best mid October · 25 checklists that week, 848 in all69%
  2. Cimarron National GrasslandMorton County, best late April · 31 checklists that week, 495 in all69%
  3. Baker University WetlandsDouglas County, best early November · 26 checklists that week, 1,611 in all63%
  4. Cimarron National Grassland (East Headquarters Pasture)Morton County, best early May · 21 checklists that week, 262 in all57%

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

Best time of day

In Kansas, the White-crowned Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 8 and 10 am (9.1% of those checklists).

0%5%10%12 am: too few checklists (150) to judge1 am: too few checklists (119) to judge2 am: too few checklists (97) to judge3 am: too few checklists (94) to judge4 am: too few checklists (124) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1459) to judge6 am: 6.1% of 12550 checklists7 am: 8.4% of 34128 checklists8 am: 9.6% of 45960 checklists9 am: 8.5% of 37806 checklists10 am: 7.5% of 32102 checklists11 am: 6.6% of 25896 checklists12 pm: 6.0% of 24203 checklists1 pm: 7.1% of 20269 checklists2 pm: 6.8% of 20772 checklists3 pm: 6.8% of 20978 checklists4 pm: 6.9% of 22094 checklists5 pm: 6.0% of 17739 checklists6 pm: 5.1% of 13963 checklists7 pm: 4.2% of 10110 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (4188) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (968) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (325) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (171) 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
January10%10%9.6%8.6%
February8.4%7.2%7.5%6.5%
March6.3%6.9%7.3%7.4%
April7.4%8.2%10%16%
May19%8.8%1.3%0.1%
June0.1%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0.1%
September0%0.2%0.2%1.6%
October5.2%11%16%17%
November15%13%11%9.8%
December8.7%9.7%9.7%9.9%

Neighboring states

  • Nebraska: arrives the second week of September, 2 weeks earlier than Kansas
  • Oklahoma: arrives early October, 1 week later than Kansas
  • Missouri: arrives early October, 1 week later than Kansas
  • Arkansas: arrives the second week of October, 2 weeks later than Kansas

Common questions

When do White-crowned Sparrows arrive in Kansas?
White-crowned Sparrows are winter birds in Kansas: the first arrive in late September, they are common by early October, peak in late October (16% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.
When do White-crowned Sparrows leave Kansas?
Most White-crowned Sparrows have left Kansas by the second week of May, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid May.
When is the best time to see a White-crowned Sparrow in Kansas?
The White-crowned Sparrow is reported most often in late October, on about 16% of Kansas checklists.
Where in Kansas are White-crowned Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Seward County, Morton County, and Hamilton County have the highest peak reporting rates for the White-crowned Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).