WhenToBird

Pipilo erythrophthalmus · Passerellidae

When Do Eastern Towhees Arrive in Indiana?

Adult male Eastern Towhee
Photo: Jonathan Layman, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Eastern Towhees are in Indiana all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from late March, peak in late April (25% of checklists), and fall back by early August. In the quietest week (late November) they are still on about 4.0% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMar 22-31late March
PeakApr 22-30late April
Fall back byAug 1-7early August
FewestNov 22-30late November

Best: late April. Here all year; numbers build from late March and fall back by early August. Peak: on about 25% of Indiana checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 4.7% of 18123 checklistsJan 8-14: 5.8% of 12006 checklistsJan 15-21: 6.1% of 12403 checklistsJan 22-31: 4.7% of 16181 checklistsFeb 1-7: 4.8% of 12546 checklistsFeb 8-14: 5.6% of 14250 checklistsFeb 15-21: 6.1% of 18077 checklistsFeb 22-28: 5.9% of 13590 checklistsMar 1-7: 7.4% of 14545 checklistsMar 8-14: 9.0% of 14594 checklistsMar 15-21: 12% of 13894 checklistsMar 22-31: 15% of 22400 checklistsApr 1-7: 19% of 18069 checklistsApr 8-14: 22% of 19579 checklistsApr 15-21: 25% of 19518 checklistsApr 22-30: 26% of 30544 checklistsMay 1-7: 24% of 28430 checklistsMay 8-14: 23% of 30624 checklistsMay 15-21: 23% of 22920 checklistsMay 22-31: 20% of 21234 checklistsJun 1-7: 18% of 12279 checklistsJun 8-14: 18% of 10904 checklistsJun 15-21: 18% of 9488 checklistsJun 22-30: 18% of 11362 checklistsJul 1-7: 19% of 9947 checklistsJul 8-14: 18% of 9585 checklistsJul 15-21: 17% of 8929 checklistsJul 22-31: 16% of 12639 checklistsAug 1-7: 16% of 9528 checklistsAug 8-14: 14% of 9451 checklistsAug 15-21: 12% of 9442 checklistsAug 22-31: 10% of 14969 checklistsSep 1-7: 10% of 12628 checklistsSep 8-14: 9.8% of 11793 checklistsSep 15-21: 9.7% of 11396 checklistsSep 22-30: 8.8% of 14203 checklistsOct 1-7: 11% of 11365 checklistsOct 8-14: 13% of 12092 checklistsOct 15-21: 13% of 10440 checklistsOct 22-31: 10% of 13883 checklistsNov 1-7: 7.1% of 10476 checklistsNov 8-14: 5.0% of 9776 checklistsNov 15-21: 4.2% of 9035 checklistsNov 22-30: 4.3% of 12547 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.5% of 9078 checklistsDec 8-14: 4.2% of 8732 checklistsDec 15-21: 5.0% of 11024 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.7% 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. Brown CountyBest mid April · 202 checklists that week, 5,917 in all67%
  2. Sullivan CountyBest early May · 110 checklists that week, 4,018 in all64%
  3. Washington CountyBest late April · 91 checklists that week, 1,463 in all62%
  4. Scott CountyBest late April · 37 checklists that week, 798 in all62%
  5. Crawford CountyBest mid April · 33 checklists that week, 891 in all61%
  6. Clay CountyBest late July · 34 checklists that week, 1,317 in all58%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Yellowwood State ForestBrown County, best late June · 21 checklists that week, 313 in all90%
  2. Southwestway ParkMarion County, best late April · 24 checklists that week, 480 in all89%
  3. Vaughn HollowBrown County, best early March · 21 checklists that week, 919 in all88%
  4. ThornwoodHancock County, best mid May · 125 checklists that week, 1,357 in all87%
  5. Clear Creek TrailMonroe County, best early July · 23 checklists that week, 946 in all86%

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

Best time of day

In Indiana, the Eastern Towhee is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (22% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%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: 29% of 20589 checklists7 am: 20% of 58470 checklists8 am: 17% of 86931 checklists9 am: 16% of 78239 checklists10 am: 13% of 66080 checklists11 am: 11% of 54904 checklists12 pm: 9.5% of 47610 checklists1 pm: 9.1% of 44814 checklists2 pm: 9.0% of 43790 checklists3 pm: 8.8% of 42983 checklists4 pm: 9.5% of 45349 checklists5 pm: 11% of 35993 checklists6 pm: 13% of 26447 checklists7 pm: 13% 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
January4.7%5.8%6.1%4.7%
February4.8%5.6%6.1%5.9%
March7.4%9.0%12%15%
April19%22%25%26%
May24%23%23%20%
June18%18%18%18%
July19%18%17%16%
August16%14%12%10%
September10%9.8%9.7%8.8%
October11%13%13%10%
November7.1%5.0%4.2%4.3%
December3.5%4.2%5.0%4.7%

Neighboring states

  • Illinois: arrives mid January, 9 weeks earlier than Indiana
  • Kentucky: arrives the second week of March, 2 weeks earlier than Indiana
  • Ohio: arrives late March, in the same week than Indiana
  • Michigan: arrives mid March, 1 week earlier than Indiana

Common questions

When do Eastern Towhees arrive in Indiana?
Eastern Towhees are in Indiana all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from late March, peak in late April (25% of checklists), and fall back by early August. In the quietest week (late November) they are still on about 4.0% of checklists.
When do Eastern Towhees leave Indiana?
Eastern Towhees never fully leave Indiana: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by early August, but some are still reported in every week, about 4.0% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Eastern Towhee in Indiana?
The Eastern Towhee is reported most often in late April, on about 25% of Indiana checklists.
Where in Indiana are Eastern Towhees seen most often?
By county, Brown County, Sullivan County, and Washington County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Eastern Towhee (counties with at least 200 checklists).