WhenToBird

Zonotrichia leucophrys · Passerellidae

When Do White-crowned Sparrows Arrive in Utah?

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

The White-crowned Sparrow is in Utah all year. It turns up on about 32% of checklists at its peak (the second week of October) and on 3.0% in its quietest week (mid August).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekOct 8-14the second week of October
Quietest weekAug 15-21mid August

Best: the second week of October. Here all year. Peak: on about 32% of Utah checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 22% of 10857 checklistsJan 8-14: 20% of 8333 checklistsJan 15-21: 20% of 8360 checklistsJan 22-31: 22% of 10516 checklistsFeb 1-7: 19% of 7416 checklistsFeb 8-14: 19% of 8082 checklistsFeb 15-21: 18% of 9643 checklistsFeb 22-28: 19% of 7960 checklistsMar 1-7: 19% of 7998 checklistsMar 8-14: 17% of 8581 checklistsMar 15-21: 17% of 8637 checklistsMar 22-31: 19% of 13006 checklistsApr 1-7: 21% of 10562 checklistsApr 8-14: 22% of 11694 checklistsApr 15-21: 22% of 11382 checklistsApr 22-30: 19% of 16626 checklistsMay 1-7: 16% of 13523 checklistsMay 8-14: 13% of 14714 checklistsMay 15-21: 8.0% of 13711 checklistsMay 22-31: 4.1% of 16546 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.4% of 10284 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.8% of 9530 checklistsJun 15-21: 4.2% of 8854 checklistsJun 22-30: 5.8% of 10566 checklistsJul 1-7: 7.0% of 7987 checklistsJul 8-14: 8.2% of 7471 checklistsJul 15-21: 8.4% of 7240 checklistsJul 22-31: 5.7% of 9329 checklistsAug 1-7: 4.5% of 6521 checklistsAug 8-14: 3.8% of 6423 checklistsAug 15-21: 3.0% of 6208 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.5% of 9089 checklistsSep 1-7: 5.8% of 7081 checklistsSep 8-14: 13% of 7306 checklistsSep 15-21: 20% of 7208 checklistsSep 22-30: 28% of 8876 checklistsOct 1-7: 33% of 7265 checklistsOct 8-14: 32% of 7226 checklistsOct 15-21: 31% of 7007 checklistsOct 22-31: 28% of 8443 checklistsNov 1-7: 27% of 6711 checklistsNov 8-14: 26% of 6290 checklistsNov 15-21: 27% of 6169 checklistsNov 22-30: 26% of 8228 checklistsDec 1-7: 23% of 6011 checklistsDec 8-14: 22% of 6044 checklistsDec 15-21: 22% of 6721 checklistsDec 22-31: 23% of 9982 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 Utah 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 Utah

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Juab CountyBest mid October · 30 checklists that week, 2,572 in all58%
  2. Washington CountyBest mid November · 686 checklists that week, 43,893 in all56%
  3. Grand CountyBest early November · 383 checklists that week, 18,662 in all51%
  4. Millard CountyBest the second week of October · 67 checklists that week, 2,206 in all42%
  5. Uintah CountyBest the second week of October · 105 checklists that week, 9,143 in all42%
  6. Davis CountyBest early October · 739 checklists that week, 39,952 in all42%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Brooks Nature ParkWashington County, best early November · 20 checklists that week, 443 in all95%
  2. State of Utah Department of Natural Resources 3Salt Lake County, best the second week of December · 21 checklists that week, 1,183 in all94%
  3. Tonaquint ParkWashington County, best the second week of December · 31 checklists that week, 3,677 in all91%
  4. Trial LakeSummit County, best mid July · 27 checklists that week, 138 in all90%
  5. Emerald LakeDuchesne County, best mid July · 31 checklists that week, 373 in all89%

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

Best time of day

In Utah, the White-crowned Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (20% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (242) to judge1 am: too few checklists (178) to judge2 am: too few checklists (169) to judge3 am: too few checklists (162) to judge4 am: too few checklists (284) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1984) to judge6 am: 12% of 11714 checklists7 am: 19% of 33209 checklists8 am: 20% of 46944 checklists9 am: 19% of 46290 checklists10 am: 17% of 43144 checklists11 am: 17% of 36893 checklists12 pm: 16% of 32758 checklists1 pm: 15% of 30142 checklists2 pm: 15% of 29414 checklists3 pm: 15% of 29491 checklists4 pm: 16% of 29154 checklists5 pm: 16% of 22256 checklists6 pm: 12% of 17383 checklists7 pm: 7.0% of 13099 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (6647) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1753) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (599) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (307) 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
January22%20%20%22%
February19%19%18%19%
March19%17%17%19%
April21%22%22%19%
May16%13%8.0%4.1%
June2.4%2.8%4.2%5.8%
July7.0%8.2%8.4%5.7%
August4.5%3.8%3.0%2.5%
September5.8%13%20%28%
October33%32%31%28%
November27%26%27%26%
December23%22%22%23%

Neighboring states

  • Wyoming: winter visitor, peaks early October
  • Nevada: winter visitor, peaks mid October
  • Colorado: all year, most in fall, peaks the second week of October
  • Idaho: all year, most in fall, peaks late September

Common questions

When do White-crowned Sparrows arrive in Utah?
The White-crowned Sparrow is in Utah all year. It turns up on about 32% of checklists at its peak (the second week of October) and on 3.0% in its quietest week (mid August).
When do White-crowned Sparrows leave Utah?
The White-crowned Sparrow does not leave Utah: it is reported all year, from 3.0% of checklists in mid August to 32% in the second week of October.
When is the best time to see a White-crowned Sparrow in Utah?
The White-crowned Sparrow is reported most often in the second week of October, on about 32% of Utah checklists.
Where in Utah are White-crowned Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Juab County, Washington County, and Grand County have the highest peak reporting rates for the White-crowned Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).