WhenToBird

Zonotrichia albicollis · Passerellidae

When Do White-throated Sparrows Arrive in Pennsylvania?

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

White-throated Sparrows are winter birds in Pennsylvania: the first arrive in late September, they are common by early October, peak in late October (48% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 22-30late September
Common byOct 1-7early October
PeakOct 22-31late October
Most gone byMay 8-14the second week of May

Best: late October. First arrivals late September; most are gone by the second week of May. Peak: on about 48% of Pennsylvania checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 39% of 47145 checklistsJan 8-14: 40% of 35840 checklistsJan 15-21: 41% of 35423 checklistsJan 22-31: 39% of 49126 checklistsFeb 1-7: 37% of 36366 checklistsFeb 8-14: 38% of 42248 checklistsFeb 15-21: 35% of 55888 checklistsFeb 22-28: 32% of 42050 checklistsMar 1-7: 30% of 42709 checklistsMar 8-14: 30% of 43985 checklistsMar 15-21: 31% of 44547 checklistsMar 22-31: 31% of 66940 checklistsApr 1-7: 34% of 51147 checklistsApr 8-14: 40% of 54868 checklistsApr 15-21: 46% of 57252 checklistsApr 22-30: 46% of 81727 checklistsMay 1-7: 36% of 76472 checklistsMay 8-14: 18% of 79341 checklistsMay 15-21: 3.8% of 61724 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.8% of 70722 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.3% of 45652 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.3% of 41810 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.3% of 38973 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.3% of 44255 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.3% of 34822 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.3% of 31104 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.3% of 29262 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.2% of 41436 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 29189 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 28840 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 29948 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 48235 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 37175 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.3% of 36527 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.7% of 37261 checklistsSep 22-30: 8.1% of 43583 checklistsOct 1-7: 24% of 35352 checklistsOct 8-14: 37% of 35560 checklistsOct 15-21: 46% of 33119 checklistsOct 22-31: 50% of 44654 checklistsNov 1-7: 49% of 32965 checklistsNov 8-14: 46% of 31305 checklistsNov 15-21: 44% of 29471 checklistsNov 22-30: 42% of 38642 checklistsDec 1-7: 42% of 28779 checklistsDec 8-14: 42% of 29486 checklistsDec 15-21: 44% of 37465 checklistsDec 22-31: 42% of 50651 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Philadelphia CountyBest the second week of November · 1608 checklists that week, 96,503 in all72%
  2. Juniata CountyBest the second week of November · 94 checklists that week, 9,807 in all68%
  3. Chester CountyBest mid April · 3942 checklists that week, 144,121 in all68%
  4. Montour CountyBest late October · 135 checklists that week, 6,082 in all67%
  5. Bucks CountyBest early November · 1730 checklists that week, 95,030 in all66%
  6. Lehigh CountyBest the second week of December · 625 checklists that week, 41,072 in all64%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. State Game Land 145Lebanon County, best late November · 21 checklists that week, 1,030 in all100%
  2. Owls Nest ParkBucks County, best late October · 23 checklists that week, 708 in all100%
  3. Doylestown Bike & Hike PathBucks County, best early December · 21 checklists that week, 779 in all100%
  4. Lions ParkNorthampton County, best late October · 25 checklists that week, 798 in all100%
  5. Farmingdale TrailsLancaster County, best mid January · 75 checklists that week, 6,512 in all99%

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

Best time of day

In Pennsylvania, the White-throated Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (31% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%40%12 am: too few checklists (1558) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1136) to judge2 am: too few checklists (839) to judge3 am: too few checklists (842) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2550) to judge5 am: too few checklists (18294) to judge6 am: 25% of 92903 checklists7 am: 31% of 241233 checklists8 am: 31% of 271994 checklists9 am: 28% of 236842 checklists10 am: 25% of 199508 checklists11 am: 24% of 161893 checklists12 pm: 24% of 143945 checklists1 pm: 24% of 134352 checklists2 pm: 24% of 129692 checklists3 pm: 24% of 126132 checklists4 pm: 22% of 115055 checklists5 pm: 19% of 90719 checklists6 pm: 13% of 67534 checklists7 pm: 7.8% of 43004 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (13966) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (3913) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1989) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1146) 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
January39%40%41%39%
February37%38%35%32%
March30%30%31%31%
April34%40%46%46%
May36%18%3.8%0.8%
June0.3%0.3%0.3%0.3%
July0.3%0.3%0.3%0.2%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0.3%1.7%8.1%
October24%37%46%50%
November49%46%44%42%
December42%42%44%42%

Neighboring states

  • Maryland: arrives early October, 1 week later than Pennsylvania
  • District of Columbia: arrives late September, in the same week than Pennsylvania
  • Delaware: arrives late September, in the same week than Pennsylvania
  • New Jersey: arrives late September, in the same week than Pennsylvania

Common questions

When do White-throated Sparrows arrive in Pennsylvania?
White-throated Sparrows are winter birds in Pennsylvania: the first arrive in late September, they are common by early October, peak in late October (48% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.
When do White-throated Sparrows leave Pennsylvania?
Most White-throated Sparrows have left Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania?
The White-throated Sparrow is reported most often in late October, on about 48% of Pennsylvania checklists.
Where in Pennsylvania are White-throated Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Philadelphia County, Juniata County, and Chester County have the highest peak reporting rates for the White-throated Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).