WhenToBird

Cygnus olor · Anatidae

When Do Mute Swans Arrive in Indiana?

Adult Mute Swan
Photo: Radu Teodoreanu, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Mute Swans are in Indiana all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from late October, peak in early March (6.5% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of April. In the quietest week (mid July) they are still on about 2.4% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildOct 22-31late October
PeakMar 1-7early March
Fall back byApr 8-14the second week of April
FewestJul 15-21mid July

Best: early March. Here all year; numbers build from late October and fall back by the second week of April. Peak: on about 6.5% of Indiana checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 5.3% of 18123 checklistsJan 8-14: 5.3% of 12006 checklistsJan 15-21: 5.8% of 12403 checklistsJan 22-31: 6.0% of 16181 checklistsFeb 1-7: 6.1% of 12546 checklistsFeb 8-14: 4.3% of 14250 checklistsFeb 15-21: 4.1% of 18077 checklistsFeb 22-28: 6.4% of 13590 checklistsMar 1-7: 7.0% of 14545 checklistsMar 8-14: 5.9% of 14594 checklistsMar 15-21: 6.1% of 13894 checklistsMar 22-31: 5.6% of 22400 checklistsApr 1-7: 5.0% of 18069 checklistsApr 8-14: 4.4% of 19579 checklistsApr 15-21: 4.4% of 19518 checklistsApr 22-30: 3.5% of 30544 checklistsMay 1-7: 3.1% of 28430 checklistsMay 8-14: 3.1% of 30624 checklistsMay 15-21: 3.1% of 22920 checklistsMay 22-31: 3.1% of 21234 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.8% of 12279 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.9% of 10904 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.9% of 9488 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.6% of 11362 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.4% of 9947 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.4% of 9585 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.4% of 8929 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.3% of 12639 checklistsAug 1-7: 2.8% of 9528 checklistsAug 8-14: 3.3% of 9451 checklistsAug 15-21: 3.1% of 9442 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.7% of 14969 checklistsSep 1-7: 3.0% of 12628 checklistsSep 8-14: 3.5% of 11793 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.3% of 11396 checklistsSep 22-30: 3.7% of 14203 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.8% of 11365 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.1% of 12092 checklistsOct 15-21: 4.2% of 10440 checklistsOct 22-31: 4.6% of 13883 checklistsNov 1-7: 5.3% of 10476 checklistsNov 8-14: 5.3% of 9776 checklistsNov 15-21: 5.2% of 9035 checklistsNov 22-30: 5.5% of 12547 checklistsDec 1-7: 5.8% of 9078 checklistsDec 8-14: 5.0% of 8732 checklistsDec 15-21: 4.4% of 11024 checklistsDec 22-31: 5.2% 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. Whitley CountyBest the second week of December · 59 checklists that week, 4,695 in all69%
  2. Brown CountyBest late January · 96 checklists that week, 5,917 in all37%
  3. Kosciusko CountyBest early March · 146 checklists that week, 8,359 in all35%
  4. Jennings CountyBest the second week of December · 23 checklists that week, 1,395 in all26%
  5. Pike CountyBest early March · 30 checklists that week, 2,105 in all22%
  6. LaGrange CountyBest late February · 176 checklists that week, 7,944 in all21%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Mount Zion BranchHamilton County, best early March · 24 checklists that week, 380 in all98%
  2. Goshen Dam PondElkhart County, best late October · 26 checklists that week, 734 in all96%
  3. Saint Marys LakeSt. Joseph County, best mid November · 34 checklists that week, 1,410 in all95%

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

Best time of day

In Indiana, the Mute Swan is most often listed on checklists started between 3 and 5 pm (5.1% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%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: 2.5% of 20589 checklists7 am: 3.2% of 58470 checklists8 am: 4.1% of 86931 checklists9 am: 4.1% of 78239 checklists10 am: 4.4% of 66080 checklists11 am: 4.4% of 54904 checklists12 pm: 4.7% of 47610 checklists1 pm: 4.7% of 44814 checklists2 pm: 4.9% of 43790 checklists3 pm: 5.1% of 42983 checklists4 pm: 5.0% of 45349 checklists5 pm: 4.5% of 35993 checklists6 pm: 3.4% of 26447 checklists7 pm: 3.1% 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
January5.3%5.3%5.8%6.0%
February6.1%4.3%4.1%6.4%
March7.0%5.9%6.1%5.6%
April5.0%4.4%4.4%3.5%
May3.1%3.1%3.1%3.1%
June2.8%2.9%2.9%2.6%
July2.4%2.4%2.4%2.3%
August2.8%3.3%3.1%2.7%
September3.0%3.5%3.3%3.7%
October3.8%3.1%4.2%4.6%
November5.3%5.3%5.2%5.5%
December5.8%5.0%4.4%5.2%

Neighboring states

  • Illinois: arrives mid September, 5 weeks earlier than Indiana
  • Kentucky: arrives mid July, 13 weeks earlier than Indiana
  • Ohio: arrives late July, 12 weeks earlier than Indiana
  • Michigan: arrives mid February, 15 weeks later than Indiana

Common questions

When do Mute Swans arrive in Indiana?
Mute Swans are in Indiana all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from late October, peak in early March (6.5% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of April. In the quietest week (mid July) they are still on about 2.4% of checklists.
When do Mute Swans leave Indiana?
Mute Swans never fully leave Indiana: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by the second week of April, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.4% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Mute Swan in Indiana?
The Mute Swan is reported most often in early March, on about 6.5% of Indiana checklists.
Where in Indiana are Mute Swans seen most often?
By county, Whitley County, Brown County, and Kosciusko County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Mute Swan (counties with at least 200 checklists).