WhenToBird

Zonotrichia albicollis · Passerellidae

When Do White-throated Sparrows Arrive in Nebraska?

Adult White-throated Sparrow
Photo: northerly, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

White-throated Sparrows are winter birds in Nebraska: the first arrive in mid September, they are common by late September, peak in mid October (20% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 15-21mid September
Common bySep 22-30late September
PeakOct 15-21mid October
Most gone byMay 8-14the second week of May

Best: mid October. First arrivals mid September; most are gone by the second week of May. Peak: on about 20% of Nebraska checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  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%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 5.9% of 4210 checklistsJan 8-14: 6.7% of 2891 checklistsJan 15-21: 5.6% of 2685 checklistsJan 22-31: 5.0% of 3834 checklistsFeb 1-7: 4.4% of 2803 checklistsFeb 8-14: 4.9% of 3134 checklistsFeb 15-21: 4.7% of 4508 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.7% of 3238 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.5% of 3862 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.6% of 4894 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.6% of 5862 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.5% of 8598 checklistsApr 1-7: 3.6% of 5530 checklistsApr 8-14: 5.4% of 5528 checklistsApr 15-21: 8.6% of 6091 checklistsApr 22-30: 15% of 8661 checklistsMay 1-7: 14% of 9842 checklistsMay 8-14: 6.6% of 10044 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.0% of 8863 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 10207 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 4922 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 4054 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 3680 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 4349 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 3277 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 2803 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 2842 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 3920 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 2981 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 2819 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 3179 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 4599 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 3958 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.2% of 3460 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.2% of 3435 checklistsSep 22-30: 5.0% of 4975 checklistsOct 1-7: 12% of 3611 checklistsOct 8-14: 20% of 3605 checklistsOct 15-21: 23% of 3474 checklistsOct 22-31: 18% of 4352 checklistsNov 1-7: 12% of 3119 checklistsNov 8-14: 8.8% of 2887 checklistsNov 15-21: 8.1% of 2568 checklistsNov 22-30: 5.7% of 3506 checklistsDec 1-7: 5.4% of 2453 checklistsDec 8-14: 5.1% of 2756 checklistsDec 15-21: 5.6% of 3760 checklistsDec 22-31: 6.1% of 3746 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 Nebraska 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 Nebraska

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Merrick CountyBest mid October · 15 checklists that week, 552 in all41%
  2. Nance CountyBest late October · 10 checklists that week, 356 in all39%
  3. Douglas CountyBest mid October · 473 checklists that week, 25,023 in all36%
  4. Burt CountyBest mid October · 17 checklists that week, 1,011 in all33%
  5. Wayne CountyBest the second week of October · 22 checklists that week, 1,960 in all32%
  6. Pierce CountyBest the second week of October · 15 checklists that week, 516 in all31%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Mercer ParkDouglas County, best mid October · 28 checklists that week, 696 in all81%
  2. Fontenelle Forest Association Local Resource Management AreaSarpy County, best late October · 21 checklists that week, 1,623 in all69%
  3. Salt LakeLancaster County, best mid October · 75 checklists that week, 2,553 in all58%
  4. Broyhill FountainLancaster County, best late April · 26 checklists that week, 523 in all56%
  5. Tractor Testing TrackLancaster County, best early May · 21 checklists that week, 242 in all56%
  6. Lake Forest ParkDouglas County, best late October · 27 checklists that week, 1,397 in all56%

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

Best time of day

In Nebraska, the White-throated Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (7.6% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%12 am: too few checklists (60) to judge1 am: too few checklists (70) to judge2 am: too few checklists (74) to judge3 am: too few checklists (97) to judge4 am: too few checklists (318) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1382) to judge6 am: 6.4% of 6945 checklists7 am: 7.8% of 19066 checklists8 am: 7.4% of 24661 checklists9 am: 6.4% of 23438 checklists10 am: 5.2% of 20424 checklists11 am: 5.2% of 16727 checklists12 pm: 4.5% of 14774 checklists1 pm: 4.2% of 14443 checklists2 pm: 4.0% of 14830 checklists3 pm: 4.1% of 14445 checklists4 pm: 4.6% of 13353 checklists5 pm: 4.6% of 10506 checklists6 pm: 3.7% of 9208 checklists7 pm: 2.1% of 6334 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2406) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (531) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (201) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (82) 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
January5.9%6.7%5.6%5.0%
February4.4%4.9%4.7%3.7%
March3.5%2.6%2.6%2.5%
April3.6%5.4%8.6%15%
May14%6.6%1.0%0.1%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0.1%0.2%1.2%5.0%
October12%20%23%18%
November12%8.8%8.1%5.7%
December5.4%5.1%5.6%6.1%

Neighboring states

  • Kansas: arrives late September, 1 week later than Nebraska
  • South Dakota: arrives the second week of September, 1 week earlier than Nebraska
  • Iowa: arrives the second week of September, 1 week earlier than Nebraska
  • Missouri: arrives early October, 2 weeks later than Nebraska

Common questions

When do White-throated Sparrows arrive in Nebraska?
White-throated Sparrows are winter birds in Nebraska: the first arrive in mid September, they are common by late September, peak in mid October (20% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.
When do White-throated Sparrows leave Nebraska?
Most White-throated Sparrows have left Nebraska 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-throated Sparrow in Nebraska?
The White-throated Sparrow is reported most often in mid October, on about 20% of Nebraska checklists.
Where in Nebraska are White-throated Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Merrick County, Nance County, and Douglas County have the highest peak reporting rates for the White-throated Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).