WhenToBird

Zonotrichia albicollis · Passerellidae

When Do White-throated Sparrows Arrive in Oregon?

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

White-throated Sparrows are winter birds in Oregon: the first arrive in early October, they are common by the second week of October, peak in late November (4.9% of checklists), and most are gone by mid April.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 1-7early October
Common byOct 8-14the second week of October
PeakNov 22-30late November
Most gone byApr 15-21mid April

Best: late November. First arrivals early October; most are gone by mid April. Peak: on about 4.9% of Oregon checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 3.9% of 34973 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.9% of 26807 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.5% of 26567 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.5% of 36019 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.5% of 24020 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.3% of 25765 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.9% of 31019 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.2% of 24582 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.8% of 24834 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.7% of 24642 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.5% of 27420 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.3% of 39913 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.3% of 28817 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.4% of 31221 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.4% of 34402 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.7% of 47144 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.8% of 37716 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.3% of 39651 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 37496 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 56967 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 35893 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 31880 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 30942 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 38478 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 27409 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 25161 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 25473 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 33920 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 24310 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 23675 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 23623 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 33762 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 25120 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 24458 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.2% of 25528 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.7% of 31631 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.6% of 25498 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.5% of 25161 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.9% of 23701 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.8% of 30996 checklistsNov 1-7: 4.3% of 21089 checklistsNov 8-14: 4.6% of 21880 checklistsNov 15-21: 4.8% of 21501 checklistsNov 22-30: 4.9% of 28930 checklistsDec 1-7: 5.1% of 19807 checklistsDec 8-14: 4.7% of 21022 checklistsDec 15-21: 4.4% of 24817 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.3% of 37592 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 Oregon 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 Oregon

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Columbia CountyBest the second week of December · 443 checklists that week, 27,750 in all17%
  2. Lane CountyBest the second week of November · 2863 checklists that week, 190,610 in all12%
  3. Benton CountyBest mid December · 2725 checklists that week, 144,626 in all9.8%
  4. Curry CountyBest late November · 280 checklists that week, 12,513 in all9.5%
  5. Coos CountyBest the second week of December · 332 checklists that week, 24,368 in all7.8%
  6. Lake CountyBest late October · 85 checklists that week, 13,301 in all6.7%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Guiles LakeColumbia County, best the second week of March · 79 checklists that week, 2,621 in all55%
  2. Jackson Bottom Wetlands PreserveWashington County, best mid November · 61 checklists that week, 2,662 in all46%
  3. Willamette Heights OverlookLane County, best late October · 24 checklists that week, 121 in all46%
  4. North Mountain ParkJackson County, best late December · 37 checklists that week, 1,170 in all39%
  5. Willamette Park and Natural Area (Stahlbusch Island)Benton County, best the second week of April · 30 checklists that week, 1,275 in all33%

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

Best time of day

In Oregon, the White-throated Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 4 and 6 pm (3.0% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%12 am: too few checklists (1505) to judge1 am: too few checklists (675) to judge2 am: too few checklists (626) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1641) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3696) to judge5 am: too few checklists (14524) to judge6 am: 0.8% of 50677 checklists7 am: 2.0% of 125347 checklists8 am: 2.3% of 163668 checklists9 am: 2.2% of 160351 checklists10 am: 2.0% of 148940 checklists11 am: 1.9% of 124743 checklists12 pm: 1.6% of 112537 checklists1 pm: 1.5% of 98999 checklists2 pm: 1.5% of 94690 checklists3 pm: 2.0% of 87923 checklists4 pm: 3.4% of 75235 checklists5 pm: 2.3% of 54504 checklists6 pm: 1.6% of 40469 checklists7 pm: 0.8% of 33675 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (18715) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5839) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2704) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1549) 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
January3.9%3.9%3.5%3.5%
February3.5%3.3%2.9%3.2%
March2.8%2.7%2.5%2.3%
April2.3%2.4%2.4%1.7%
May0.8%0.3%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0%0.1%0.1%0%
August0%0%0%0.1%
September0.1%0.1%0.2%0.7%
October1.6%2.5%2.9%3.8%
November4.3%4.6%4.8%4.9%
December5.1%4.7%4.4%4.3%

Neighboring states

  • Washington: arrives mid September, 2 weeks earlier than Oregon
  • Idaho: arrives mid September, 2 weeks earlier than Oregon
  • Nevada: arrives early October, in the same week than Oregon
  • California: arrives the second week of October, 1 week later than Oregon

Common questions

When do White-throated Sparrows arrive in Oregon?
White-throated Sparrows are winter birds in Oregon: the first arrive in early October, they are common by the second week of October, peak in late November (4.9% of checklists), and most are gone by mid April.
When do White-throated Sparrows leave Oregon?
Most White-throated Sparrows have left Oregon by mid April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late April.
When is the best time to see a White-throated Sparrow in Oregon?
The White-throated Sparrow is reported most often in late November, on about 4.9% of Oregon checklists.
Where in Oregon are White-throated Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Columbia County, Lane County, and Benton County have the highest peak reporting rates for the White-throated Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).