WhenToBird

Zonotrichia leucophrys · Passerellidae

When Do White-crowned Sparrows Arrive in Texas?

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

White-crowned Sparrows are winter birds in Texas: the first arrive in early October, they are common by mid October, peak in early December (10% of checklists), and most are gone by early May.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 1-7early October
Common byOct 15-21mid October
PeakDec 1-7early December
Most gone byMay 1-7early May

Best: early December. First arrivals early October; most are gone by early May. Peak: on about 10% of Texas checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Seprare
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 8.1% of 66038 checklistsJan 8-14: 7.6% of 52445 checklistsJan 15-21: 8.1% of 52985 checklistsJan 22-31: 7.9% of 71020 checklistsFeb 1-7: 7.8% of 52306 checklistsFeb 8-14: 7.4% of 55887 checklistsFeb 15-21: 7.5% of 69016 checklistsFeb 22-28: 7.4% of 52998 checklistsMar 1-7: 7.7% of 50836 checklistsMar 8-14: 7.7% of 51749 checklistsMar 15-21: 7.8% of 53731 checklistsMar 22-31: 7.4% of 82049 checklistsApr 1-7: 7.0% of 65854 checklistsApr 8-14: 6.4% of 78434 checklistsApr 15-21: 6.5% of 92302 checklistsApr 22-30: 6.6% of 122878 checklistsMay 1-7: 4.7% of 74592 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.7% of 61008 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.8% of 43365 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.3% of 52736 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 31643 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 30131 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 26802 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 32822 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 27213 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 24555 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 24146 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 34536 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 25764 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 26347 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 28431 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 42838 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 35070 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 33893 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 32572 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.6% of 43771 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.3% of 34143 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.2% of 37563 checklistsOct 15-21: 4.3% of 36263 checklistsOct 22-31: 6.6% of 49170 checklistsNov 1-7: 8.0% of 43301 checklistsNov 8-14: 7.8% of 48744 checklistsNov 15-21: 9.6% of 42213 checklistsNov 22-30: 10% of 54455 checklistsDec 1-7: 10% of 40166 checklistsDec 8-14: 9.9% of 41035 checklistsDec 15-21: 9.5% of 46983 checklistsDec 22-31: 8.6% 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. Irion CountyBest the second week of January · 12 checklists that week, 900 in all80%
  2. Stonewall CountyBest early January · 18 checklists that week, 336 in all76%
  3. Reeves CountyBest the second week of February · 39 checklists that week, 3,930 in all74%
  4. Swisher CountyBest late April · 37 checklists that week, 817 in all73%
  5. Kent CountyBest early January · 11 checklists that week, 401 in all70%
  6. Mitchell CountyBest mid November · 10 checklists that week, 734 in all69%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Palo Duro Canyon State ParkRandall County, best early January · 23 checklists that week, 1,069 in all100%
  2. South Llano River State Park (Potter Creek)Kimble County, best late February · 53 checklists that week, 992 in all97%
  3. I-20 Wildlife Preserve and Jenna Welch Nature Study CenterMidland County, best late March · 59 checklists that week, 2,359 in all93%
  4. Balmorhea LakeReeves County, best mid February · 22 checklists that week, 1,496 in all93%

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

Best time of day

In Texas, the White-crowned Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 8 and 10 am (6.5% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%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: 3.7% of 74687 checklists7 am: 6.0% of 285131 checklists8 am: 6.6% of 329960 checklists9 am: 6.3% of 267889 checklists10 am: 5.7% of 218205 checklists11 am: 5.1% of 178879 checklists12 pm: 4.9% of 153722 checklists1 pm: 4.9% of 144662 checklists2 pm: 4.9% of 138578 checklists3 pm: 5.1% of 136878 checklists4 pm: 5.4% of 137550 checklists5 pm: 4.8% of 113599 checklists6 pm: 3.2% of 81743 checklists7 pm: 2.4% 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
January8.1%7.6%8.1%7.9%
February7.8%7.4%7.5%7.4%
March7.7%7.7%7.8%7.4%
April7.0%6.4%6.5%6.6%
May4.7%1.7%0.8%0.3%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0%0%0%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0%0.1%
September0.1%0.1%0.1%0.6%
October1.3%2.2%4.3%6.6%
November8.0%7.8%9.6%10%
December10%9.9%9.5%8.6%

Neighboring states

  • Louisiana: arrives late October, 3 weeks later than Texas
  • Oklahoma: arrives early October, in the same week than Texas
  • Arkansas: arrives the second week of October, 1 week later than Texas
  • Mississippi: arrives late October, 3 weeks later than Texas

Common questions

When do White-crowned Sparrows arrive in Texas?
White-crowned Sparrows are winter birds in Texas: the first arrive in early October, they are common by mid October, peak in early December (10% of checklists), and most are gone by early May.
When do White-crowned Sparrows leave Texas?
Most White-crowned Sparrows have left Texas by early 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 Texas?
The White-crowned Sparrow is reported most often in early December, on about 10% of Texas checklists.
Where in Texas are White-crowned Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Irion County, Stonewall County, and Reeves County have the highest peak reporting rates for the White-crowned Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).