WhenToBird

Passerina cyanea · Cardinalidae

When Do Indigo Buntings Arrive in West Virginia?

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

Indigo Buntings reach West Virginia in mid April, are common by early May, peak in the second week of July (33% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of August.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 15-21mid April
Common byMay 1-7early May
PeakJul 8-14the second week of July
Most gone byAug 8-14the second week of August

Best: the second week of July. First arrivals mid April; most are gone by the second week of August. Peak: on about 33% of West Virginia 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. Octuncommon
  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 4227 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 3147 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 3410 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 4248 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 3150 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 3653 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 5140 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 3846 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 3901 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 3820 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 3781 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 5705 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% of 4529 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 4935 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.6% of 5429 checklistsApr 22-30: 6.0% of 8015 checklistsMay 1-7: 22% of 7421 checklistsMay 8-14: 29% of 6910 checklistsMay 15-21: 35% of 5596 checklistsMay 22-31: 32% of 6884 checklistsJun 1-7: 31% of 4123 checklistsJun 8-14: 32% of 3957 checklistsJun 15-21: 32% of 3863 checklistsJun 22-30: 32% of 4217 checklistsJul 1-7: 34% of 3491 checklistsJul 8-14: 32% of 3044 checklistsJul 15-21: 34% of 3095 checklistsJul 22-31: 32% of 4120 checklistsAug 1-7: 28% of 3009 checklistsAug 8-14: 20% of 3007 checklistsAug 15-21: 14% of 2905 checklistsAug 22-31: 7.8% of 4312 checklistsSep 1-7: 8.0% of 3429 checklistsSep 8-14: 7.6% of 3217 checklistsSep 15-21: 9.6% of 3285 checklistsSep 22-30: 10% of 4067 checklistsOct 1-7: 6.1% of 3380 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.5% of 3460 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.7% of 3129 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 3881 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 3084 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 2869 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 2484 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 3663 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 2574 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 2680 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 3792 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 4236 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 West Virginia 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 West Virginia

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lewis CountyBest mid July · 33 checklists that week, 1,802 in all67%
  2. Barbour CountyBest early July · 49 checklists that week, 1,534 in all66%
  3. Monroe CountyBest the second week of July · 22 checklists that week, 1,298 in all65%
  4. Doddridge CountyBest the second week of July · 13 checklists that week, 427 in all64%
  5. Marion CountyBest the second week of July · 62 checklists that week, 5,628 in all57%
  6. Hardy CountyBest mid July · 88 checklists that week, 4,765 in all57%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Ohio River Islands National Wildlife RefugeWood County, best late July · 46 checklists that week, 1,994 in all95%
  2. Little Indian Creek Wildlife Management AreaMonongalia County, best late May · 21 checklists that week, 492 in all94%
  3. Fairfax Grant Farm SpringsJefferson County, best mid May · 21 checklists that week, 441 in all86%
  4. Harpers Ferry National Historical Park (Klein Spring)Jefferson County, best mid May · 22 checklists that week, 369 in all83%
  5. Harpers Ferry National Historical ParkJefferson County, best late May · 27 checklists that week, 533 in all82%
  6. Stonewall Jackson Lake Wildlife Management AreaLewis County, best late July · 20 checklists that week, 217 in all80%

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

Best time of day

In West Virginia, the Indigo Bunting is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (18% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (65) to judge1 am: too few checklists (47) to judge2 am: too few checklists (46) to judge3 am: too few checklists (49) to judge4 am: too few checklists (140) to judge5 am: too few checklists (952) to judge6 am: 26% of 5860 checklists7 am: 15% of 18233 checklists8 am: 14% of 24468 checklists9 am: 12% of 22542 checklists10 am: 11% of 19537 checklists11 am: 9.6% of 16362 checklists12 pm: 7.9% of 14819 checklists1 pm: 8.3% of 12772 checklists2 pm: 7.8% of 11765 checklists3 pm: 7.0% of 12579 checklists4 pm: 6.9% of 11463 checklists5 pm: 9.2% of 9409 checklists6 pm: 13% of 6557 checklists7 pm: 15% of 4256 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (1589) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (377) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (147) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (86) 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%0.1%
April0.1%0.1%0.6%6.0%
May22%29%35%32%
June31%32%32%32%
July34%32%34%32%
August28%20%14%7.8%
September8.0%7.6%9.6%10%
October6.1%2.5%0.7%0.1%
November0.1%0%0%0%
December0%0%0.1%0%

Neighboring states

  • Virginia: arrives mid April, in the same week than West Virginia
  • District of Columbia: arrives mid April, in the same week than West Virginia
  • Maryland: arrives late April, 1 week later than West Virginia
  • Ohio: arrives late April, 1 week later than West Virginia

Common questions

When do Indigo Buntings arrive in West Virginia?
Indigo Buntings reach West Virginia in mid April, are common by early May, peak in the second week of July (33% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of August.
When do Indigo Buntings leave West Virginia?
Most Indigo Buntings have left West Virginia by the second week of August, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of October.
When is the best time to see a Indigo Bunting in West Virginia?
The Indigo Bunting is reported most often in the second week of July, on about 33% of West Virginia checklists.
Where in West Virginia are Indigo Buntings seen most often?
By county, Lewis County, Barbour County, and Monroe County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Indigo Bunting (counties with at least 200 checklists).