South · Central Flyway
Sparrows in Texas
Sparrows in Texas come down to 32 species with regular eBird records, led by the House Sparrow. Together they account for 1,838,980 of the 35 million eBird records from 2020–2024 — 5.2% of everything reported in the state.
The full list: House Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Lark Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Olive Sparrow, Field Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, Vesper Sparrow, Black-throated Sparrow, Clay-colored Sparrow, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Harris's Sparrow, Cassin's Sparrow, Grasshopper Sparrow, Lark Bunting, Fox Sparrow, Brewer's Sparrow, Seaside Sparrow, Le Conte's Sparrow, Nelson's Sparrow, Black-chinned Sparrow, Botteri's Sparrow, Bachman's Sparrow, Sagebrush Sparrow, American Tree Sparrow, Henslow's Sparrow, Baird's Sparrow and Golden-crowned Sparrow. Sparrows are the streaky brown birds that spend most of their time on or near the ground. The group mixes year-round residents, winter visitors from the north, and one introduced species — the House Sparrow — that lives almost entirely around people.
Sparrows in Texas: every species, most-reported first
Every sparrow with at least 25 eBird records in the state from 2020–2024, most-reported first. The status label is derived from each species’ own monthly share of all state records.
1. House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) — 446,740 records, 1.3% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
2. Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis) — 167,959 records, 0.5% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from October to April and peaking in January.
3. Lincoln's Sparrow (Melospiza lincolnii) — 163,574 records, 0.5% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from October to April and peaking in March.
4. Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina) — 159,708 records, 0.5% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from October to May and peaking in February.
5. White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) — 140,162 records, 0.4% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from November to April and peaking in December.
6. White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys) — 122,504 records, 0.3% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from October to April and peaking in December.
7. Lark Sparrow (Chondestes grammacus) — 105,119 records, 0.3% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from April to September and peaking in June.
8. Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) — 83,854 records, 0.2% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from November to March and peaking in December.
9. Olive Sparrow (Arremonops rufivirgatus) — 66,609 records, 0.2% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
10. Field Sparrow (Spizella pusilla) — 61,061 records, 0.2% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
11. Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana) — 55,586 records, 0.2% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from October to March and peaking in December.
12. Vesper Sparrow (Pooecetes gramineus) — 52,004 records, 0.1% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from October to April and peaking in December.
The remaining 20 species — Black-throated Sparrow, Clay-colored Sparrow, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Harris's Sparrow, Cassin's Sparrow, Grasshopper Sparrow, Lark Bunting, Fox Sparrow, Brewer's Sparrow, Seaside Sparrow, Le Conte's Sparrow, Nelson's Sparrow, Black-chinned Sparrow, Botteri's Sparrow, Bachman's Sparrow, Sagebrush Sparrow, American Tree Sparrow, Henslow's Sparrow, Baird's Sparrow and Golden-crowned Sparrow — are recorded regularly but in smaller numbers; see the cards above for their status.
When to see sparrows in Texas
Adding up every species’ share of state eBird records month by month, sparrows are most prominent in December, January and February and least in September and August. 5 of the 32 species are year-round — House Sparrow, Olive Sparrow, Field Sparrow, Black-throated Sparrow and Grasshopper Sparrow — so there is no month without them.
Summer visitors. Lark Sparrow arrives around April and is mostly gone after September (peak June); Rufous-crowned Sparrow arrives around March and is mostly gone after December (peak June); Cassin's Sparrow arrives around March and is mostly gone after August (peak June); Seaside Sparrow arrives around March and is mostly gone after October (peak April); Black-chinned Sparrow arrives around April and is mostly gone after December (peak August); Botteri's Sparrow arrives around April and is mostly gone after August (peak May).
Winter visitors. Savannah Sparrow arrives around October and leaves after April (peak January); Lincoln's Sparrow arrives around October and leaves after April (peak March); Chipping Sparrow arrives around October and leaves after May (peak February); White-throated Sparrow arrives around November and leaves after April (peak December); White-crowned Sparrow arrives around October and leaves after April (peak December); Song Sparrow arrives around November and leaves after March (peak December).
Passage migrants. Clay-colored Sparrow is reported mainly in April, May, September and October; Bachman's Sparrow is reported mainly in March, April, May and June.
Attracting sparrows to Texas backyards
Sparrows feed on the ground, so scatter millet or cracked corn under a feeder or on a low platform rather than in a hanging tube. Brush piles and unmown corners give them the cover they need to stay.
In Texas the sparrow most likely to turn up is the House Sparrow, a year-round resident, followed by the Olive Sparrow. Its own page covers month-by-month activity and attraction tips for this state.
Sparrows in Texas: FAQ
How many species of sparrows are there in Texas?
32 species of sparrows have regular eBird records in Texas (at least 25 records in 2020–2024): House Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Lark Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Olive Sparrow, Field Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, Vesper Sparrow, Black-throated Sparrow, Clay-colored Sparrow, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Harris's Sparrow, Cassin's Sparrow, Grasshopper Sparrow, Lark Bunting, Fox Sparrow, Brewer's Sparrow, Seaside Sparrow, Le Conte's Sparrow, Nelson's Sparrow, Black-chinned Sparrow, Botteri's Sparrow, Bachman's Sparrow, Sagebrush Sparrow, American Tree Sparrow, Henslow's Sparrow, Baird's Sparrow and Golden-crowned Sparrow.
What is the most common sparrow in Texas?
The House Sparrow, with 446,740 eBird records in 2020–2024, followed by the Savannah Sparrow with 167,959. It is a year-round resident, reported in every month.
When is the best time to see sparrows in Texas?
December, January and February, when the combined share of Texas eBird records belonging to sparrows is highest. Summer visitors such as the Lark Sparrow arrive around April. Winter visitors such as the Savannah Sparrow arrive around October.
More birds in Texas
Sparrows in other states
Sparrows in Texas: sources
Every number on this page comes from the EOD – eBird Observation Dataset published by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and distributed through GBIF under a CC BY 4.0 license: Texas records from 2020–2024, retrieved 2026-09-18. Species are drawn from the families Passerellidae and Passeridae; only species with at least 25 records are listed, and a species is called a year-round resident when its monthly share of state records stays above 30% of its own peak in ten or more months. “Records” are individual eBird observations, so they reflect how often birders report a species, not a population count.