WhenToBird

Zonotrichia albicollis · Passerellidae

When Do White-throated Sparrows Arrive in Wisconsin?

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

White-throated Sparrows are winter birds in Wisconsin: the first arrive in late August, they are common by early September, peak in the second week of October (37% of checklists), and most are gone by early February.

When to look

First arrivalsAug 22-31late August
Common bySep 1-7early September
PeakOct 8-14the second week of October
Most gone byFeb 1-7early February

Best: the second week of October. First arrivals late August; most are gone by early February. Peak: on about 37% of Wisconsin checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febrare
  3. Marrare
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junrare
  7. Julrare
  8. Augrare
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decrare

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 2.6% of 27925 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.7% of 18337 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.8% of 17370 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.2% of 23777 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.7% of 16656 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.5% of 18286 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.0% of 24739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.8% of 20113 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.6% of 24024 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.5% of 26722 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.3% of 27238 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.7% of 40171 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.3% of 34961 checklistsApr 8-14: 3.9% of 39128 checklistsApr 15-21: 13% of 38887 checklistsApr 22-30: 29% of 57231 checklistsMay 1-7: 35% of 55115 checklistsMay 8-14: 22% of 63098 checklistsMay 15-21: 8.8% of 49821 checklistsMay 22-31: 4.0% of 56796 checklistsJun 1-7: 3.3% of 33621 checklistsJun 8-14: 4.0% of 31282 checklistsJun 15-21: 5.0% of 30186 checklistsJun 22-30: 5.6% of 35128 checklistsJul 1-7: 5.2% of 27088 checklistsJul 8-14: 4.7% of 23293 checklistsJul 15-21: 4.2% of 20933 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.8% of 27595 checklistsAug 1-7: 2.0% of 19147 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.4% of 18286 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.2% of 19195 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.4% of 28229 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.7% of 22408 checklistsSep 8-14: 6.3% of 20857 checklistsSep 15-21: 14% of 20707 checklistsSep 22-30: 29% of 26469 checklistsOct 1-7: 37% of 21069 checklistsOct 8-14: 40% of 21011 checklistsOct 15-21: 33% of 20006 checklistsOct 22-31: 22% of 26362 checklistsNov 1-7: 14% of 18928 checklistsNov 8-14: 8.7% of 17052 checklistsNov 15-21: 5.4% of 16291 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.2% of 20564 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.4% of 15354 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.8% of 16294 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.4% of 21430 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.1% of 26314 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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Dunn CountyBest the second week of October · 117 checklists that week, 8,247 in all70%
  2. Chippewa CountyBest the second week of October · 133 checklists that week, 7,933 in all61%
  3. Washburn CountyBest early October · 187 checklists that week, 7,099 in all60%
  4. Lafayette CountyBest mid October · 21 checklists that week, 1,911 in all58%
  5. Green CountyBest the second week of October · 57 checklists that week, 4,387 in all57%
  6. Polk CountyBest the second week of October · 335 checklists that week, 18,155 in all54%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lakeshore Preserve (North Shore Woods)Dane County, best mid October · 79 checklists that week, 540 in all98%
  2. Schofield ParkMarathon County, best early October · 34 checklists that week, 315 in all95%
  3. Bender Park (west)Milwaukee County, best the second week of October · 28 checklists that week, 160 in all94%
  4. Lake Park (3)Milwaukee County, best early May · 22 checklists that week, 201 in all94%
  5. Warnimont ParkMilwaukee County, best the second week of October · 29 checklists that week, 2,226 in all94%
  6. Owen Conservation ParkDane County, best the second week of October · 110 checklists that week, 5,184 in all91%

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

Best time of day

In Wisconsin, the White-throated Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 am (15% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%12 am: too few checklists (993) to judge1 am: too few checklists (844) to judge2 am: too few checklists (839) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1488) to judge4 am: too few checklists (5344) to judge5 am: 14% of 27016 checklists6 am: 16% of 83973 checklists7 am: 14% of 160717 checklists8 am: 12% of 160531 checklists9 am: 10% of 136968 checklists10 am: 8.5% of 119110 checklists11 am: 7.3% of 99116 checklists12 pm: 7.1% of 85078 checklists1 pm: 6.9% of 80688 checklists2 pm: 7.0% of 79140 checklists3 pm: 7.5% of 78599 checklists4 pm: 8.8% of 69767 checklists5 pm: 9.6% of 53229 checklists6 pm: 7.6% of 38769 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24396) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (10155) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4990) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2463) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1281) 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
January2.6%2.7%2.8%3.2%
February2.7%2.5%2.0%1.8%
March1.6%1.5%1.3%1.7%
April2.3%3.9%13%29%
May35%22%8.8%4.0%
June3.3%4.0%5.0%5.6%
July5.2%4.7%4.2%2.8%
August2.0%1.4%1.2%1.4%
September2.7%6.3%14%29%
October37%40%33%22%
November14%8.7%5.4%3.2%
December3.4%3.8%3.4%3.1%

Neighboring states

  • Illinois: arrives the second week of September, 2 weeks later than Wisconsin
  • Iowa: arrives the second week of September, 2 weeks later than Wisconsin
  • Michigan: arrives early September, 1 week later than Wisconsin
  • Minnesota: arrives early April, 19 weeks earlier than Wisconsin

Common questions

When do White-throated Sparrows arrive in Wisconsin?
White-throated Sparrows are winter birds in Wisconsin: the first arrive in late August, they are common by early September, peak in the second week of October (37% of checklists), and most are gone by early February.
When do White-throated Sparrows leave Wisconsin?
Most White-throated Sparrows have left Wisconsin by early February, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early March.
When is the best time to see a White-throated Sparrow in Wisconsin?
The White-throated Sparrow is reported most often in the second week of October, on about 37% of Wisconsin checklists.
Where in Wisconsin are White-throated Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Dunn County, Chippewa County, and Washburn County have the highest peak reporting rates for the White-throated Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).