WhenToBird

Passerina cyanea · Cardinalidae

Indigo Bunting: When and Where to See It

Adult male Indigo Bunting
Photo: Kathy Richardson, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Indigo Bunting reaches Louisiana first, around mid March, and North Dakota last, around the second week of May.

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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0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 1114036 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 824708 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 825978 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 1105853 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 779772 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 864504 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 1127933 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 840124 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.1% of 839610 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 870138 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 898456 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.2% of 1335637 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.6% of 1030617 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.6% of 1124024 checklistsApr 15-21: 3.5% of 1194575 checklistsApr 22-30: 6.0% of 1675723 checklistsMay 1-7: 9.8% of 1449080 checklistsMay 8-14: 13% of 1538353 checklistsMay 15-21: 16% of 1219898 checklistsMay 22-31: 15% of 1452282 checklistsJun 1-7: 14% of 900636 checklistsJun 8-14: 14% of 829907 checklistsJun 15-21: 14% of 773255 checklistsJun 22-30: 14% of 916255 checklistsJul 1-7: 14% of 717733 checklistsJul 8-14: 14% of 658223 checklistsJul 15-21: 13% of 638752 checklistsJul 22-31: 12% of 895727 checklistsAug 1-7: 11% of 655651 checklistsAug 8-14: 9.1% of 650038 checklistsAug 15-21: 6.7% of 654639 checklistsAug 22-31: 4.6% of 974928 checklistsSep 1-7: 3.7% of 765914 checklistsSep 8-14: 3.4% of 738674 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.6% of 750433 checklistsSep 22-30: 4.2% of 944196 checklistsOct 1-7: 4.0% of 760106 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.0% of 793131 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.1% of 728727 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.2% of 959954 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.6% of 709464 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.4% of 693424 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.2% of 653952 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 871137 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 627591 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 642427 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 775638 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% of 1132751 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Pooled across every state in the data, so it leans toward states with the most birders.

States, in order of first arrivals

StatePatternFirst arrivalsPeakMost gone byPeak %
LouisianaSummer visitorMar 15-21Apr 22-30Nov 1-727%
AlabamaSummer visitorMar 22-31May 1-7Oct 8-1428%
MississippiSummer visitorMar 22-31May 1-7Oct 15-2130%
TexasSummer visitorMar 22-31Apr 22-30Nov 1-719%
ArkansasSummer visitorApr 8-14May 8-14Aug 22-3145%
TennesseeSummer visitorApr 8-14Jul 1-7Aug 15-2137%
GeorgiaSummer visitorApr 8-14May 8-14Aug 8-1419%
South CarolinaSummer visitorApr 8-14May 8-14Aug 8-1416%
MissouriSummer visitorApr 15-21May 15-21Aug 22-3145%
KentuckySummer visitorApr 15-21Jul 8-14Aug 15-2145%
IndianaSummer visitorApr 15-21Jun 22-30Aug 15-2136%
KansasSummer visitorApr 15-21Jul 8-14Aug 15-2135%
VirginiaSummer visitorApr 15-21Jun 15-21Aug 8-1435%
West VirginiaSummer visitorApr 15-21Jul 8-14Aug 8-1433%
North CarolinaSummer visitorApr 15-21Jun 22-30Aug 15-2129%
OklahomaSummer visitorApr 15-21May 8-14Aug 15-2126%
District of ColumbiaSummer visitorApr 15-21Jul 8-14Aug 8-1424%
IowaSummer visitorApr 22-30Jun 22-30Aug 15-2141%
IllinoisSummer visitorApr 22-30Jul 1-7Aug 15-2136%
MarylandSummer visitorApr 22-30Jun 15-21Aug 15-2133%
OhioSummer visitorApr 22-30Jun 22-30Aug 15-2131%
DelawareSummer visitorApr 22-30May 22-31Aug 15-2125%
PennsylvaniaSummer visitorApr 22-30Jul 1-7Aug 8-1424%
New JerseySummer visitorApr 22-30May 22-31Aug 22-3119%
NebraskaSummer visitorApr 22-30May 15-21Aug 15-2113%
New YorkSummer visitorApr 22-30Jun 22-30Aug 1-713%
ConnecticutSummer visitorApr 22-30May 22-31Oct 1-711%
WisconsinSummer visitorMay 1-7Jul 1-7Aug 8-1430%
MichiganSummer visitorMay 1-7Jun 22-30Aug 8-1422%
MinnesotaSummer visitorMay 1-7Jul 1-7Aug 15-2119%
VermontSummer visitorMay 1-7Jul 1-7Aug 1-715%
New HampshireSummer visitorMay 1-7Jul 8-14Aug 8-1411%
Rhode IslandSummer visitorMay 1-7May 22-31Aug 8-147.7%
MassachusettsSummer visitorMay 1-7May 22-31Oct 8-147.0%
New MexicoSummer visitorMay 1-7Jul 8-14Sep 8-141.3%
NevadaSummer visitorMay 1-7May 22-31Jul 8-141.8%
South DakotaSummer visitorMay 8-14May 22-31Aug 15-215.7%
MaineSummer visitorMay 8-14May 22-31Aug 8-143.7%
North DakotaSummer visitorMay 8-14May 22-31Aug 15-213.8%
FloridaWinter visitorSep 15-21Oct 15-21Dec 8-149.1%

Winter visitor in: Florida