WhenToBird

Bombycilla cedrorum · Bombycillidae

When Do Cedar Waxwings Arrive in Indiana?

Adult Cedar Waxwing
Photo: Sean Frey, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Cedar Waxwings reach Indiana in late April, are common by the second week of May, peak in early June (23% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of November.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 22-30late April
Common byMay 8-14the second week of May
PeakJun 1-7early June
Most gone byNov 8-14the second week of November

Best: early June. First arrivals late April; most are gone by the second week of November. Peak: on about 23% of Indiana checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprrare
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 1.2% of 18123 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.1% of 12006 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.8% of 12403 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.8% of 16181 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.6% of 12546 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.6% of 14250 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.7% of 18077 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.8% of 13590 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.7% of 14545 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.8% of 14594 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.8% of 13894 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.8% of 22400 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.9% of 18069 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.0% of 19579 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.2% of 19518 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.5% of 30544 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.8% of 28430 checklistsMay 8-14: 8.2% of 30624 checklistsMay 15-21: 18% of 22920 checklistsMay 22-31: 24% of 21234 checklistsJun 1-7: 22% of 12279 checklistsJun 8-14: 21% of 10904 checklistsJun 15-21: 18% of 9488 checklistsJun 22-30: 17% of 11362 checklistsJul 1-7: 17% of 9947 checklistsJul 8-14: 15% of 9585 checklistsJul 15-21: 13% of 8929 checklistsJul 22-31: 12% of 12639 checklistsAug 1-7: 13% of 9528 checklistsAug 8-14: 14% of 9451 checklistsAug 15-21: 14% of 9442 checklistsAug 22-31: 16% of 14969 checklistsSep 1-7: 19% of 12628 checklistsSep 8-14: 19% of 11793 checklistsSep 15-21: 17% of 11396 checklistsSep 22-30: 16% of 14203 checklistsOct 1-7: 13% of 11365 checklistsOct 8-14: 12% of 12092 checklistsOct 15-21: 10% of 10440 checklistsOct 22-31: 12% of 13883 checklistsNov 1-7: 12% of 10476 checklistsNov 8-14: 8.8% of 9776 checklistsNov 15-21: 7.4% of 9035 checklistsNov 22-30: 5.1% of 12547 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.2% of 9078 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.8% of 8732 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.2% of 11024 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.8% 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 late May · 15 checklists that week, 798 in all47%
  2. Clinton CountyBest late September · 11 checklists that week, 900 in all46%
  3. Blackford CountyBest mid August · 10 checklists that week, 962 in all46%
  4. Starke CountyBest the second week of August · 10 checklists that week, 2,111 in all45%
  5. Fayette CountyBest the second week of September · 15 checklists that week, 1,864 in all41%
  6. Morgan CountyBest mid September · 138 checklists that week, 6,146 in all39%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Fort Benjamin Harrison State ParkMarion County, best early June · 24 checklists that week, 1,724 in all82%
  2. Eagle Creek Park (Crest Branch)Marion County, best early June · 28 checklists that week, 2,458 in all74%
  3. Fidler Pond ParkElkhart County, best late June · 20 checklists that week, 3,156 in all71%
  4. Eagle Creek Park (Hill Creek)Marion County, best the second week of September · 228 checklists that week, 3,298 in all67%
  5. Greenway - Ima LakeMarion County, best late May · 34 checklists that week, 732 in all67%
  6. Celery BogTippecanoe County, best the second week of June · 146 checklists that week, 12,503 in all67%

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

Best time of day

In Indiana, the Cedar Waxwing is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (14% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%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: 17% of 20589 checklists7 am: 13% of 58470 checklists8 am: 11% of 86931 checklists9 am: 8.9% of 78239 checklists10 am: 6.7% of 66080 checklists11 am: 5.3% of 54904 checklists12 pm: 4.7% of 47610 checklists1 pm: 4.7% of 44814 checklists2 pm: 5.0% of 43790 checklists3 pm: 5.6% of 42983 checklists4 pm: 6.1% of 45349 checklists5 pm: 7.0% of 35993 checklists6 pm: 9.2% of 26447 checklists7 pm: 10% 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
January1.2%1.1%0.8%0.8%
February0.6%0.6%0.7%0.8%
March0.7%0.8%0.8%0.8%
April0.9%1.0%1.2%1.5%
May2.8%8.2%18%24%
June22%21%18%17%
July17%15%13%12%
August13%14%14%16%
September19%19%17%16%
October13%12%10%12%
November12%8.8%7.4%5.1%
December3.2%2.8%2.2%1.8%

Neighboring states

  • Illinois: arrives early May, 1 week later than Indiana
  • Kentucky: arrives mid April, 1 week earlier than Indiana
  • Ohio: arrives early May, 1 week later than Indiana
  • Michigan: arrives early June, 5 weeks later than Indiana

Common questions

When do Cedar Waxwings arrive in Indiana?
Cedar Waxwings reach Indiana in late April, are common by the second week of May, peak in early June (23% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of November.
When do Cedar Waxwings leave Indiana?
Most Cedar Waxwings have left Indiana by the second week of November, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late December.
When is the best time to see a Cedar Waxwing in Indiana?
The Cedar Waxwing is reported most often in early June, on about 23% of Indiana checklists.
Where in Indiana are Cedar Waxwings seen most often?
By county, Scott County, Clinton County, and Blackford County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Cedar Waxwing (counties with at least 200 checklists).