WhenToBird

Megascops asio · Strigidae

When Do Eastern Screech-Owls Arrive in Indiana?

Adult Eastern Screech-Owl
Photo: Justin Bull, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Eastern Screech-Owls are winter birds in Indiana: they arrive in late July, peak in the second week of November (1.3% of checklists), and most are gone by late May.

When to look

First arrivalsJul 22-31late July
Common byJul 22-31late July
PeakNov 8-14the second week of November
Most gone byMay 22-31late May

Best: the second week of November. First arrivals late July; most are gone by late May. Peak: on about 1.3% of Indiana checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%Jan 1-7: 1.0% of 18123 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.0% of 12006 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.9% of 12403 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.8% of 16181 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.0% of 12546 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.8% of 14250 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.7% of 18077 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.2% of 13590 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.8% of 14545 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.8% of 14594 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.6% of 13894 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.6% of 22400 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.6% of 18069 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.6% of 19579 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.7% of 19518 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.6% of 30544 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.5% of 28430 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.6% of 30624 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.6% of 22920 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.5% of 21234 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.3% of 12279 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.3% of 10904 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.2% of 9488 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 11362 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.4% of 9947 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.4% of 9585 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.5% of 8929 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.5% of 12639 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.5% of 9528 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.7% of 9451 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.6% of 9442 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.6% of 14969 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.0% of 12628 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.1% of 11793 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.5% of 11396 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.2% of 14203 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.3% of 11365 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.0% of 12092 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.4% of 10440 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.0% of 13883 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.6% of 10476 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.2% of 9776 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.1% of 9035 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.0% of 12547 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.8% of 9078 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.0% of 8732 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.4% of 11024 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.8% 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. Carroll CountyBest late September · 17 checklists that week, 930 in all12%
  2. Crawford CountyBest early October · 20 checklists that week, 891 in all12%
  3. Fayette CountyBest the second week of November · 36 checklists that week, 1,864 in all11%
  4. Washington CountyBest the second week of November · 19 checklists that week, 1,463 in all10%
  5. Tippecanoe CountyBest the second week of November · 823 checklists that week, 51,017 in all10%
  6. Martin CountyBest the second week of October · 20 checklists that week, 934 in all8.3%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Franklin Township Community ParkMarion County, best mid January · 20 checklists that week, 315 in all51%
  2. Celery Bog (Crumb Corner)Tippecanoe County, best mid February · 25 checklists that week, 836 in all42%
  3. Celery BogTippecanoe County, best the second week of November · 221 checklists that week, 12,503 in all31%
  4. Central Park (west)Hamilton County, best late January · 26 checklists that week, 528 in all27%
  5. Dunes Nature Preserve (west)Porter County, best mid September · 21 checklists that week, 431 in all24%

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

Best time of day

In Indiana, the Eastern Screech-Owl is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 pm (1.2% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%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: 1.4% of 20589 checklists7 am: 0.7% of 58470 checklists8 am: 0.6% of 86931 checklists9 am: 0.3% of 78239 checklists10 am: 0.3% of 66080 checklists11 am: 0.4% of 54904 checklists12 pm: 0.4% of 47610 checklists1 pm: 0.4% of 44814 checklists2 pm: 0.7% of 43790 checklists3 pm: 1.3% of 42983 checklists4 pm: 0.9% of 45349 checklists5 pm: 1.1% of 35993 checklists6 pm: 1.2% of 26447 checklists7 pm: 1.3% 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
January1.0%1.0%0.9%0.8%
February1.0%0.8%0.7%1.2%
March0.8%0.8%0.6%0.6%
April0.6%0.6%0.7%0.6%
May0.5%0.6%0.6%0.5%
June0.3%0.3%0.2%0.1%
July0.4%0.4%0.5%0.5%
August0.5%0.7%0.6%0.6%
September1.0%1.1%1.5%1.2%
October1.3%1.0%1.4%1.0%
November1.6%1.2%1.1%1.0%
December0.8%1.0%1.4%0.8%

Neighboring states

  • Illinois: arrives late July, in the same week than Indiana
  • Kentucky: arrives late June, 4 weeks earlier than Indiana
  • Ohio: arrives late April, 12 weeks earlier than Indiana
  • Michigan: arrives early August, 1 week later than Indiana

Common questions

When do Eastern Screech-Owls arrive in Indiana?
Eastern Screech-Owls are winter birds in Indiana: they arrive in late July, peak in the second week of November (1.3% of checklists), and most are gone by late May.
When do Eastern Screech-Owls leave Indiana?
Most Eastern Screech-Owls have left Indiana by late May, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Eastern Screech-Owl in Indiana?
The Eastern Screech-Owl is reported most often in the second week of November, on about 1.3% of Indiana checklists.
Where in Indiana are Eastern Screech-Owls seen most often?
By county, Carroll County, Crawford County, and Fayette County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Eastern Screech-Owl (counties with at least 200 checklists).