WhenToBird

Bucephala albeola · Anatidae

When Do Buffleheads Arrive in Indiana?

Adult Bufflehead
Photo: Robert Harris, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Buffleheads are winter birds in Indiana: the first arrive in late October, they are common by early November, peak in mid March (14% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of April.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 22-31late October
Common byNov 1-7early November
PeakMar 15-21mid March
Most gone byApr 8-14the second week of April

Best: mid March. First arrivals late October; most are gone by the second week of April. Peak: on about 14% of Indiana checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 6.3% of 18123 checklistsJan 8-14: 5.8% of 12006 checklistsJan 15-21: 5.9% of 12403 checklistsJan 22-31: 5.6% of 16181 checklistsFeb 1-7: 4.5% of 12546 checklistsFeb 8-14: 4.1% of 14250 checklistsFeb 15-21: 4.3% of 18077 checklistsFeb 22-28: 8.7% of 13590 checklistsMar 1-7: 13% of 14545 checklistsMar 8-14: 14% of 14594 checklistsMar 15-21: 14% of 13894 checklistsMar 22-31: 13% of 22400 checklistsApr 1-7: 9.9% of 18069 checklistsApr 8-14: 5.5% of 19579 checklistsApr 15-21: 3.5% of 19518 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.4% of 30544 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.6% of 28430 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 30624 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 22920 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 21234 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 12279 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 10904 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 9488 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 11362 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 9947 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 9585 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 8929 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 12639 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 9528 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 9451 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 9442 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 14969 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 12628 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 11793 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 11396 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 14203 checklistsOct 1-7: 0% of 11365 checklistsOct 8-14: 0% of 12092 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.3% of 10440 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.8% of 13883 checklistsNov 1-7: 4.2% of 10476 checklistsNov 8-14: 6.5% of 9776 checklistsNov 15-21: 9.0% of 9035 checklistsNov 22-30: 9.3% of 12547 checklistsDec 1-7: 8.5% of 9078 checklistsDec 8-14: 6.9% of 8732 checklistsDec 15-21: 5.4% of 11024 checklistsDec 22-31: 5.7% 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. Scott CountyBest early March · 29 checklists that week, 798 in all48%
  2. Fulton CountyBest late March · 22 checklists that week, 455 in all47%
  3. Gibson CountyBest the second week of March · 206 checklists that week, 10,754 in all45%
  4. Henry CountyBest the second week of March · 153 checklists that week, 4,207 in all39%
  5. Martin CountyBest the second week of November · 23 checklists that week, 934 in all36%
  6. Daviess CountyBest early March · 10 checklists that week, 442 in all35%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Heritage LakePutnam County, best late November · 28 checklists that week, 400 in all96%
  2. Cane Ridge Wildlife Management AreaGibson County, best late March · 62 checklists that week, 2,252 in all95%

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

Best time of day

In Indiana, the Bufflehead is most often listed on checklists started between 2 and 4 pm (5.2% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%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: 1.7% of 20589 checklists7 am: 2.3% of 58470 checklists8 am: 3.0% of 86931 checklists9 am: 3.6% of 78239 checklists10 am: 4.1% of 66080 checklists11 am: 4.4% of 54904 checklists12 pm: 4.7% of 47610 checklists1 pm: 4.8% of 44814 checklists2 pm: 5.3% of 43790 checklists3 pm: 5.1% of 42983 checklists4 pm: 4.9% of 45349 checklists5 pm: 3.8% of 35993 checklists6 pm: 2.6% of 26447 checklists7 pm: 1.7% 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
January6.3%5.8%5.9%5.6%
February4.5%4.1%4.3%8.7%
March13%14%14%13%
April9.9%5.5%3.5%1.4%
May0.6%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0.1%0%0%0%
September0%0%0%0.1%
October0%0%0.3%1.8%
November4.2%6.5%9.0%9.3%
December8.5%6.9%5.4%5.7%

Neighboring states

  • Illinois: arrives late October, in the same week than Indiana
  • Kentucky: arrives early November, 1 week later than Indiana
  • Ohio: arrives late October, in the same week than Indiana
  • Michigan: arrives the second week of October, 2 weeks earlier than Indiana

Common questions

When do Buffleheads arrive in Indiana?
Buffleheads are winter birds in Indiana: the first arrive in late October, they are common by early November, peak in mid March (14% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of April.
When do Buffleheads leave Indiana?
Most Buffleheads have left Indiana by the second week of April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late April.
When is the best time to see a Bufflehead in Indiana?
The Bufflehead is reported most often in mid March, on about 14% of Indiana checklists.
Where in Indiana are Buffleheads seen most often?
By county, Scott County, Fulton County, and Gibson County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Bufflehead (counties with at least 200 checklists).