WhenToBird

Megaceryle alcyon · Alcedinidae

When Do Belted Kingfishers Arrive in Indiana?

Adult female Belted Kingfisher
Photo: Jonathan Eisen, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Belted Kingfishers are in Indiana all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from mid July, peak in mid September (15% of checklists), and fall back by early December. In the quietest week (mid February) they are still on about 4.2% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildJul 15-21mid July
PeakSep 15-21mid September
Fall back byDec 1-7early December
FewestFeb 15-21mid February

Best: mid September. Here all year; numbers build from mid July and fall back by early December. Peak: on about 15% of Indiana checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 7.3% of 18123 checklistsJan 8-14: 6.0% of 12006 checklistsJan 15-21: 5.7% of 12403 checklistsJan 22-31: 5.0% of 16181 checklistsFeb 1-7: 5.2% of 12546 checklistsFeb 8-14: 4.4% of 14250 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.5% of 18077 checklistsFeb 22-28: 5.1% of 13590 checklistsMar 1-7: 5.5% of 14545 checklistsMar 8-14: 6.0% of 14594 checklistsMar 15-21: 7.0% of 13894 checklistsMar 22-31: 8.5% of 22400 checklistsApr 1-7: 9.7% of 18069 checklistsApr 8-14: 9.1% of 19579 checklistsApr 15-21: 9.5% of 19518 checklistsApr 22-30: 8.5% of 30544 checklistsMay 1-7: 6.7% of 28430 checklistsMay 8-14: 5.8% of 30624 checklistsMay 15-21: 5.6% of 22920 checklistsMay 22-31: 4.9% of 21234 checklistsJun 1-7: 4.8% of 12279 checklistsJun 8-14: 5.3% of 10904 checklistsJun 15-21: 5.7% of 9488 checklistsJun 22-30: 6.6% of 11362 checklistsJul 1-7: 8.4% of 9947 checklistsJul 8-14: 10% of 9585 checklistsJul 15-21: 11% of 8929 checklistsJul 22-31: 11% of 12639 checklistsAug 1-7: 13% of 9528 checklistsAug 8-14: 13% of 9451 checklistsAug 15-21: 14% of 9442 checklistsAug 22-31: 14% of 14969 checklistsSep 1-7: 14% of 12628 checklistsSep 8-14: 15% of 11793 checklistsSep 15-21: 15% of 11396 checklistsSep 22-30: 16% of 14203 checklistsOct 1-7: 15% of 11365 checklistsOct 8-14: 14% of 12092 checklistsOct 15-21: 14% of 10440 checklistsOct 22-31: 13% of 13883 checklistsNov 1-7: 13% of 10476 checklistsNov 8-14: 12% of 9776 checklistsNov 15-21: 12% of 9035 checklistsNov 22-30: 11% of 12547 checklistsDec 1-7: 10% of 9078 checklistsDec 8-14: 9.1% of 8732 checklistsDec 15-21: 9.2% of 11024 checklistsDec 22-31: 8.5% of 15432 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 Indiana 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 Indiana

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Washington CountyBest the second week of August · 19 checklists that week, 1,463 in all55%
  2. Scott CountyBest early October · 13 checklists that week, 798 in all39%
  3. Morgan CountyBest the second week of August · 74 checklists that week, 6,146 in all39%
  4. Miami CountyBest mid September · 14 checklists that week, 1,203 in all37%
  5. Fayette CountyBest the second week of November · 36 checklists that week, 1,864 in all35%
  6. Marshall CountyBest mid September · 17 checklists that week, 1,525 in all33%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Vaughn HollowBrown County, best late September · 30 checklists that week, 919 in all85%
  2. AvocaLawrence County, best mid July · 22 checklists that week, 805 in all85%
  3. Eagle Creek Park (north)Marion County, best mid September · 22 checklists that week, 277 in all69%
  4. Eagle Creek Park (Crest Branch)Marion County, best late November · 40 checklists that week, 2,458 in all67%
  5. Prophetstown State Park (northeast)Tippecanoe County, best early September · 21 checklists that week, 1,552 in all67%

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

Best time of day

In Indiana, the Belted Kingfisher is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (12% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (240) to judge1 am: too few checklists (231) to judge2 am: too few checklists (222) to judge3 am: too few checklists (202) to judge4 am: too few checklists (674) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4329) to judge6 am: 12% of 20589 checklists7 am: 11% of 58470 checklists8 am: 11% of 86931 checklists9 am: 9.8% of 78239 checklists10 am: 8.4% of 66080 checklists11 am: 7.7% of 54904 checklists12 pm: 6.8% of 47610 checklists1 pm: 7.1% of 44814 checklists2 pm: 7.8% of 43790 checklists3 pm: 8.1% of 42983 checklists4 pm: 8.6% of 45349 checklists5 pm: 7.7% of 35993 checklists6 pm: 7.7% of 26447 checklists7 pm: 6.3% of 17740 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (7603) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1721) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (517) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (272) 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
January7.3%6.0%5.7%5.0%
February5.2%4.4%3.5%5.1%
March5.5%6.0%7.0%8.5%
April9.7%9.1%9.5%8.5%
May6.7%5.8%5.6%4.9%
June4.8%5.3%5.7%6.6%
July8.4%10%11%11%
August13%13%14%14%
September14%15%15%16%
October15%14%14%13%
November13%12%12%11%
December10%9.1%9.2%8.5%

Neighboring states

  • Illinois: arrives early August, 2 weeks later than Indiana
  • Kentucky: arrives the second week of August, 3 weeks later than Indiana
  • Ohio: arrives the second week of July, 1 week earlier than Indiana
  • Michigan: arrives early July, 2 weeks earlier than Indiana

Common questions

When do Belted Kingfishers arrive in Indiana?
Belted Kingfishers are in Indiana all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from mid July, peak in mid September (15% of checklists), and fall back by early December. In the quietest week (mid February) they are still on about 4.2% of checklists.
When do Belted Kingfishers leave Indiana?
Belted Kingfishers never fully leave Indiana: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by early December, but some are still reported in every week, about 4.2% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Belted Kingfisher in Indiana?
The Belted Kingfisher is reported most often in mid September, on about 15% of Indiana checklists.
Where in Indiana are Belted Kingfishers seen most often?
By county, Washington County, Scott County, and Morgan County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Belted Kingfisher (counties with at least 200 checklists).