WhenToBird

Zonotrichia leucophrys · Passerellidae

When Do White-crowned Sparrows Arrive in Ohio?

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

White-crowned Sparrows are winter birds in Ohio: they arrive in late September, peak in mid October (13% of checklists), and most are gone by late May.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 22-30late September
Common bySep 22-30late September
PeakOct 15-21mid October
Most gone byMay 22-31late May

Best: mid October. First arrivals late September; most are gone by late May. Peak: on about 13% of Ohio checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 3.4% of 46637 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.9% of 31056 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.9% of 30129 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.5% of 38665 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.3% of 27203 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.4% of 30626 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.1% of 40705 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.3% of 31391 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.4% of 32914 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.2% of 33973 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.9% of 33678 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.1% of 49889 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.2% of 41225 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.2% of 47174 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.7% of 47017 checklistsApr 22-30: 5.5% of 73055 checklistsMay 1-7: 14% of 80637 checklistsMay 8-14: 13% of 102552 checklistsMay 15-21: 5.1% of 64582 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.4% of 52766 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 29279 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 25773 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 23163 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 27794 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 23334 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 22147 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 20998 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 29749 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 22899 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 21972 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 22215 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 35087 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 29148 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 28042 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 26751 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.2% of 32398 checklistsOct 1-7: 5.8% of 26209 checklistsOct 8-14: 12% of 26809 checklistsOct 15-21: 14% of 23504 checklistsOct 22-31: 14% of 33269 checklistsNov 1-7: 8.0% of 25563 checklistsNov 8-14: 5.2% of 23810 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.8% of 22127 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.4% of 29449 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.6% of 22370 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.0% of 21581 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.7% of 24232 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.6% of 36084 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 Ohio 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 Ohio

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lorain CountyBest mid October · 884 checklists that week, 59,913 in all35%
  2. Lake CountyBest mid October · 1068 checklists that week, 59,983 in all30%
  3. Holmes CountyBest mid October · 115 checklists that week, 10,766 in all27%
  4. Coshocton CountyBest the second week of December · 39 checklists that week, 2,932 in all27%
  5. Putnam CountyBest early October · 12 checklists that week, 927 in all24%
  6. Cuyahoga CountyBest mid October · 2370 checklists that week, 158,034 in all24%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Dawes ArboretumLicking County, best mid January · 73 checklists that week, 1,114 in all79%
  2. Otto Armleder Memorial ParkHamilton County, best early December · 46 checklists that week, 3,310 in all77%

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

Best time of day

In Ohio, the White-crowned Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (5.8% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (574) to judge1 am: too few checklists (609) to judge2 am: too few checklists (466) to judge3 am: too few checklists (478) to judge4 am: too few checklists (662) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4366) to judge6 am: 5.9% of 43093 checklists7 am: 5.7% of 142017 checklists8 am: 5.5% of 205296 checklists9 am: 4.6% of 196322 checklists10 am: 4.0% of 170882 checklists11 am: 3.7% of 144567 checklists12 pm: 3.4% of 126551 checklists1 pm: 3.5% of 117855 checklists2 pm: 3.4% of 112869 checklists3 pm: 3.5% of 109786 checklists4 pm: 3.9% of 103116 checklists5 pm: 3.9% of 78409 checklists6 pm: 3.5% of 56785 checklists7 pm: 2.4% of 37923 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (14954) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2710) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (854) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (486) 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%3.9%3.9%3.5%
February3.3%3.4%3.1%2.3%
March2.4%2.2%1.9%2.1%
April2.2%2.2%2.7%5.5%
May14%13%5.1%0.4%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0.1%0.1%0.1%1.2%
October5.8%12%14%14%
November8.0%5.2%3.8%3.4%
December3.6%3.0%3.7%3.6%

Neighboring states

  • West Virginia: arrives early October, 1 week later than Ohio
  • Indiana: arrives late September, in the same week than Ohio
  • Michigan: arrives the second week of September, 2 weeks earlier than Ohio
  • Kentucky: arrives early October, 1 week later than Ohio

Common questions

When do White-crowned Sparrows arrive in Ohio?
White-crowned Sparrows are winter birds in Ohio: they arrive in late September, peak in mid October (13% of checklists), and most are gone by late May.
When do White-crowned Sparrows leave Ohio?
Most White-crowned Sparrows have left Ohio by late May, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a White-crowned Sparrow in Ohio?
The White-crowned Sparrow is reported most often in mid October, on about 13% of Ohio checklists.
Where in Ohio are White-crowned Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Lorain County, Lake County, and Holmes County have the highest peak reporting rates for the White-crowned Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).