WhenToBird

Passerina cyanea · Cardinalidae

When Do Indigo Buntings Arrive in Ohio?

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

Indigo Buntings reach Ohio in late April, are common by the second week of May, peak in late June (31% of checklists), and most are gone by mid August.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 22-30late April
Common byMay 8-14the second week of May
PeakJun 22-30late June
Most gone byAug 15-21mid August

Best: late June. First arrivals late April; most are gone by mid August. Peak: on about 31% of Ohio checklists.

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

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 0% of 46637 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 31056 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 30129 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 38665 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 27203 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 30626 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 40705 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 31391 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 32914 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 33973 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 33678 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 49889 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% of 41225 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 47174 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.4% of 47017 checklistsApr 22-30: 4.1% of 73055 checklistsMay 1-7: 13% of 80637 checklistsMay 8-14: 21% of 102552 checklistsMay 15-21: 28% of 64582 checklistsMay 22-31: 29% of 52766 checklistsJun 1-7: 29% of 29279 checklistsJun 8-14: 30% of 25773 checklistsJun 15-21: 31% of 23163 checklistsJun 22-30: 31% of 27794 checklistsJul 1-7: 31% of 23334 checklistsJul 8-14: 30% of 22147 checklistsJul 15-21: 30% of 20998 checklistsJul 22-31: 29% of 29749 checklistsAug 1-7: 27% of 22899 checklistsAug 8-14: 23% of 21972 checklistsAug 15-21: 15% of 22215 checklistsAug 22-31: 8.9% of 35087 checklistsSep 1-7: 5.9% of 29148 checklistsSep 8-14: 5.8% of 28042 checklistsSep 15-21: 5.7% of 26751 checklistsSep 22-30: 5.9% of 32398 checklistsOct 1-7: 4.4% of 26209 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.8% of 26809 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.4% of 23504 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 33269 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 25563 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 23810 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 22127 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 29449 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 22370 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 21581 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 24232 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% of 36084 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 Ohio 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 Ohio

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Gallia CountyBest the second week of July · 28 checklists that week, 1,061 in all77%
  2. Brown CountyBest early June · 46 checklists that week, 1,793 in all64%
  3. Adams CountyBest late June · 74 checklists that week, 4,054 in all63%
  4. Morgan CountyBest the second week of July · 42 checklists that week, 2,908 in all63%
  5. Darke CountyBest early July · 65 checklists that week, 3,495 in all60%
  6. Champaign CountyBest the second week of July · 41 checklists that week, 2,549 in all60%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. East Fork State Park (Kain Run)Clermont County, best late June · 26 checklists that week, 738 in all100%
  2. Otto Armleder Memorial ParkHamilton County, best the second week of July · 41 checklists that week, 3,310 in all98%
  3. Otto Armleder Memorial Park (Duck Creek)Hamilton County, best late May · 29 checklists that week, 740 in all97%
  4. Glenwood GardensHamilton County, best late May · 23 checklists that week, 677 in all96%
  5. French Creek ReservationLorain County, best early June · 21 checklists that week, 369 in all95%

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

Best time of day

In Ohio, the Indigo Bunting is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (17% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (574) to judge1 am: too few checklists (609) to judge2 am: too few checklists (466) to judge3 am: too few checklists (478) to judge4 am: too few checklists (662) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4366) to judge6 am: 24% of 43093 checklists7 am: 15% of 142017 checklists8 am: 12% of 205296 checklists9 am: 9.8% of 196322 checklists10 am: 8.7% of 170882 checklists11 am: 7.9% of 144567 checklists12 pm: 6.9% of 126551 checklists1 pm: 6.4% of 117855 checklists2 pm: 6.1% of 112869 checklists3 pm: 5.6% of 109786 checklists4 pm: 6.0% of 103116 checklists5 pm: 7.4% of 78409 checklists6 pm: 9.8% of 56785 checklists7 pm: 11% of 37923 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (14954) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2710) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (854) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (486) 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%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0%0%0%
April0.1%0.1%0.4%4.1%
May13%21%28%29%
June29%30%31%31%
July31%30%30%29%
August27%23%15%8.9%
September5.9%5.8%5.7%5.9%
October4.4%1.8%0.4%0.1%
November0.1%0%0.1%0.1%
December0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • West Virginia: arrives mid April, 1 week earlier than Ohio
  • Indiana: arrives mid April, 1 week earlier than Ohio
  • Michigan: arrives early May, 1 week later than Ohio
  • Kentucky: arrives mid April, 1 week earlier than Ohio

Common questions

When do Indigo Buntings arrive in Ohio?
Indigo Buntings reach Ohio in late April, are common by the second week of May, peak in late June (31% of checklists), and most are gone by mid August.
When do Indigo Buntings leave Ohio?
Most Indigo Buntings have left Ohio by mid August, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early October.
When is the best time to see a Indigo Bunting in Ohio?
The Indigo Bunting is reported most often in late June, on about 31% of Ohio checklists.
Where in Ohio are Indigo Buntings seen most often?
By county, Gallia County, Brown County, and Adams County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Indigo Bunting (counties with at least 200 checklists).