WhenToBird

Passerina cyanea · Cardinalidae

When Do Indigo Buntings Arrive in Arkansas?

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

Indigo Buntings reach Arkansas in the second week of April, are common by mid April, peak in the second week of May (45% of checklists), and most are gone by late August.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 8-14the second week of April
Common byApr 15-21mid April
PeakMay 8-14the second week of May
Most gone byAug 22-31late August

Best: the second week of May. First arrivals the second week of April; most are gone by late August. Peak: on about 45% of Arkansas checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 0% of 5292 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 4085 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 4531 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 6500 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 4752 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 5385 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 7219 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 4163 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.1% of 3952 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 4067 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 4446 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 6911 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.8% of 5422 checklistsApr 8-14: 3.5% of 6043 checklistsApr 15-21: 15% of 6759 checklistsApr 22-30: 37% of 10236 checklistsMay 1-7: 47% of 8243 checklistsMay 8-14: 45% of 7467 checklistsMay 15-21: 43% of 6160 checklistsMay 22-31: 42% of 7287 checklistsJun 1-7: 41% of 4884 checklistsJun 8-14: 43% of 4444 checklistsJun 15-21: 43% of 3579 checklistsJun 22-30: 41% of 3858 checklistsJul 1-7: 44% of 3042 checklistsJul 8-14: 42% of 2889 checklistsJul 15-21: 40% of 2599 checklistsJul 22-31: 41% of 3825 checklistsAug 1-7: 38% of 2951 checklistsAug 8-14: 33% of 2765 checklistsAug 15-21: 27% of 2838 checklistsAug 22-31: 19% of 4360 checklistsSep 1-7: 17% of 3573 checklistsSep 8-14: 16% of 3314 checklistsSep 15-21: 17% of 3118 checklistsSep 22-30: 18% of 4381 checklistsOct 1-7: 16% of 3640 checklistsOct 8-14: 11% of 4119 checklistsOct 15-21: 4.8% of 3810 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.5% of 4956 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.2% of 3704 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 3678 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 3457 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 4648 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 3390 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 3510 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 4540 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% of 6404 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 Arkansas 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 Arkansas

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Grant CountyBest mid July · 26 checklists that week, 1,258 in all92%
  2. Van Buren CountyBest early July · 15 checklists that week, 895 in all84%
  3. Howard CountyBest the second week of May · 12 checklists that week, 238 in all80%
  4. Lee CountyBest mid June · 13 checklists that week, 450 in all80%
  5. Poinsett CountyBest late May · 13 checklists that week, 661 in all79%
  6. Franklin CountyBest early July · 35 checklists that week, 1,315 in all79%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Sunset LakeSaline County, best late June · 21 checklists that week, 900 in all96%
  2. Bell SloughFaulkner County, best the second week of May · 63 checklists that week, 666 in all93%
  3. Camp Robinson Wildlife Demonstration AreaFaulkner County, best the second week of June · 24 checklists that week, 621 in all93%
  4. Ouachita National ForestScott County, best the second week of May · 22 checklists that week, 152 in all88%
  5. Bell Slough (northeast)Faulkner County, best early May · 30 checklists that week, 188 in all88%
  6. Bald Knob National Wildlife RefugeWhite County, best mid July · 46 checklists that week, 1,945 in all87%

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

Best time of day

In Arkansas, the Indigo Bunting is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (25% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%40%12 am: too few checklists (98) to judge1 am: too few checklists (88) to judge2 am: too few checklists (95) to judge3 am: too few checklists (94) to judge4 am: too few checklists (145) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1455) to judge6 am: 37% of 10807 checklists7 am: 21% of 27761 checklists8 am: 18% of 30943 checklists9 am: 15% of 26975 checklists10 am: 15% of 21989 checklists11 am: 13% of 16828 checklists12 pm: 12% of 14069 checklists1 pm: 12% of 13145 checklists2 pm: 11% of 12780 checklists3 pm: 10% of 12723 checklists4 pm: 12% of 12500 checklists5 pm: 17% of 9576 checklists6 pm: 20% of 7182 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (4187) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (1314) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (245) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (122) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (75) 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
January0%0.1%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0.1%0%0.1%0.1%
April0.8%3.5%15%37%
May47%45%43%42%
June41%43%43%41%
July44%42%40%41%
August38%33%27%19%
September17%16%17%18%
October16%11%4.8%1.5%
November0.2%0.1%0%0.1%
December0%0%0%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • Missouri: arrives mid April, 1 week later than Arkansas
  • Oklahoma: arrives mid April, 1 week later than Arkansas
  • Kansas: arrives mid April, 1 week later than Arkansas
  • Mississippi: arrives late March, 2 weeks earlier than Arkansas

Common questions

When do Indigo Buntings arrive in Arkansas?
Indigo Buntings reach Arkansas in the second week of April, are common by mid April, peak in the second week of May (45% of checklists), and most are gone by late August.
When do Indigo Buntings leave Arkansas?
Most Indigo Buntings have left Arkansas by late August, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid October.
When is the best time to see a Indigo Bunting in Arkansas?
The Indigo Bunting is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 45% of Arkansas checklists.
Where in Arkansas are Indigo Buntings seen most often?
By county, Grant County, Van Buren County, and Howard County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Indigo Bunting (counties with at least 200 checklists).