WhenToBird

Zonotrichia leucophrys · Passerellidae

When Do White-crowned Sparrows Arrive in Maryland?

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

White-crowned Sparrows are winter birds in Maryland: they arrive in early October, peak in late October (4.7% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.

When to look

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

Best: late October. First arrivals early October; most are gone by the second week of May. Peak: on about 4.7% of Maryland checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Seprare
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 1.6% of 28716 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.5% of 21449 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.4% of 21267 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.4% of 29144 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.3% of 21347 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.3% of 22166 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.1% of 29986 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.1% of 22427 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.1% of 21389 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.0% of 22192 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.0% of 22823 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.1% of 33720 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.0% of 25513 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.1% of 27718 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.3% of 29328 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.4% of 42595 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.0% of 38532 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.9% of 42722 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 31936 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 36903 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 23191 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 21853 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 21000 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 25133 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 18715 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 16376 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 15793 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 21969 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 16013 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 15249 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 15674 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 24925 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 19808 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 18513 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 21901 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.2% of 22901 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.9% of 19111 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.0% of 18482 checklistsOct 15-21: 4.9% of 17380 checklistsOct 22-31: 5.5% of 23992 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.6% of 17915 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.1% of 18905 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.0% of 16259 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.5% of 22852 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.6% of 16108 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.6% of 16512 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.8% of 18952 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.4% of 29728 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 Maryland 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 Maryland

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Queen Anne's CountyBest late October · 531 checklists that week, 26,875 in all14%
  2. Garrett CountyBest late October · 627 checklists that week, 37,616 in all14%
  3. Harford CountyBest late October · 964 checklists that week, 39,311 in all13%
  4. Washington CountyBest the second week of February · 356 checklists that week, 24,020 in all9.3%
  5. Kent CountyBest the second week of April · 276 checklists that week, 13,396 in all8.1%
  6. Allegany CountyBest mid October · 298 checklists that week, 18,322 in all7.7%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Millington Wma (southwest)Kent County, best mid April · 27 checklists that week, 131 in all74%
  2. Trout RunGarrett County, best early November · 40 checklists that week, 1,215 in all73%
  3. Crabbs Branch SvpMontgomery County, best mid April · 53 checklists that week, 484 in all62%
  4. JenkinsBaltimore County, best late October · 73 checklists that week, 1,145 in all44%

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

Best time of day

In Maryland, the White-crowned Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 8 and 10 am (1.3% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%12 am: too few checklists (486) to judge1 am: too few checklists (451) to judge2 am: too few checklists (447) to judge3 am: too few checklists (766) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2076) to judge5 am: too few checklists (11098) to judge6 am: 0.8% of 56604 checklists7 am: 1.3% of 139255 checklists8 am: 1.4% of 148626 checklists9 am: 1.3% of 126820 checklists10 am: 1.2% of 106973 checklists11 am: 1.0% of 87483 checklists12 pm: 1.0% of 74808 checklists1 pm: 1.1% of 69428 checklists2 pm: 1.1% of 67800 checklists3 pm: 1.2% of 67688 checklists4 pm: 1.0% of 60927 checklists5 pm: 0.9% of 43876 checklists6 pm: 0.6% of 32930 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (19051) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (5708) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1977) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1170) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (635) 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
January1.6%1.5%1.4%1.4%
February1.3%1.3%1.1%1.1%
March1.1%1.0%1.0%1.1%
April1.0%1.1%1.3%1.4%
May2.0%0.9%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0.1%0.2%
October0.9%3.0%4.9%5.5%
November3.6%2.1%2.0%1.5%
December1.6%1.6%1.8%1.4%

Neighboring states

  • District of Columbia: arrives late September, 1 week earlier than Maryland
  • Delaware: arrives early October, in the same week than Maryland
  • Virginia: arrives the second week of October, 1 week later than Maryland
  • Pennsylvania: arrives early October, in the same week than Maryland

Common questions

When do White-crowned Sparrows arrive in Maryland?
White-crowned Sparrows are winter birds in Maryland: they arrive in early October, peak in late October (4.7% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.
When do White-crowned Sparrows leave Maryland?
Most White-crowned Sparrows have left Maryland by the second week of May, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a White-crowned Sparrow in Maryland?
The White-crowned Sparrow is reported most often in late October, on about 4.7% of Maryland checklists.
Where in Maryland are White-crowned Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Queen Anne's County, Garrett County, and Harford County have the highest peak reporting rates for the White-crowned Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).