WhenToBird

Anas acuta · Anatidae

When Do Northern Pintails Arrive in Indiana?

Adult Northern Pintail
Photo: Jan Ebr & Ivana Ebrová, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Northern Pintails are winter birds in Indiana: the first arrive in late September, they are common by early October, peak in early March (5.3% of checklists), and most are gone by late March.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 22-30late September
Common byOct 1-7early October
PeakMar 1-7early March
Most gone byMar 22-31late March

Best: early March. First arrivals late September; most are gone by late March. Peak: on about 5.3% of Indiana checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augrare
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 1.9% of 18123 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.2% of 12006 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.3% of 12403 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.9% of 16181 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.9% of 12546 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.9% of 14250 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.2% of 18077 checklistsFeb 22-28: 6.4% of 13590 checklistsMar 1-7: 5.3% of 14545 checklistsMar 8-14: 4.3% of 14594 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.9% of 13894 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.7% of 22400 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.8% of 18069 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.5% of 19579 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.2% of 19518 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 30544 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 28430 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 30624 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 22920 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 21234 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 12279 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 10904 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 9488 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 11362 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 9947 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 9585 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 8929 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 12639 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 9528 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 9451 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 9442 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.2% of 14969 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.4% of 12628 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.7% of 11793 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.8% of 11396 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.3% of 14203 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.4% of 11365 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.9% of 12092 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.7% of 10440 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.9% of 13883 checklistsNov 1-7: 2.9% of 10476 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.6% of 9776 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.3% of 9035 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.4% of 12547 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.8% of 9078 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.8% of 8732 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.1% of 11024 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.2% 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. Adams CountyBest early March · 20 checklists that week, 1,306 in all39%
  2. Benton CountyBest the second week of March · 14 checklists that week, 993 in all38%
  3. Gibson CountyBest early March · 192 checklists that week, 10,754 in all36%
  4. Starke CountyBest early March · 90 checklists that week, 2,111 in all30%
  5. Greene CountyBest early March · 733 checklists that week, 17,518 in all28%
  6. Pike CountyBest the second week of February · 12 checklists that week, 2,105 in all21%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Kankakee Fish and Wildlife AreaStarke County, best mid November · 22 checklists that week, 423 in all88%
  2. Goose Pond Fish and Wildlife Area (northeast)Greene County, best early March · 31 checklists that week, 753 in all78%
  3. Cane Ridge Wildlife Management AreaGibson County, best the second week of February · 29 checklists that week, 2,252 in all71%
  4. Pine Creek Bottoms Gamebird Habitat AreaBenton County, best early March · 22 checklists that week, 604 in all69%

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

Best time of day

In Indiana, the Northern Pintail is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (1.9% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%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: 1.4% of 20589 checklists7 am: 1.1% of 58470 checklists8 am: 1.1% of 86931 checklists9 am: 1.4% of 78239 checklists10 am: 1.4% of 66080 checklists11 am: 1.6% of 54904 checklists12 pm: 1.6% of 47610 checklists1 pm: 1.8% of 44814 checklists2 pm: 2.0% of 43790 checklists3 pm: 1.7% of 42983 checklists4 pm: 1.5% of 45349 checklists5 pm: 1.0% of 35993 checklists6 pm: 0.5% of 26447 checklists7 pm: 0.2% 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
January1.9%1.2%1.3%1.9%
February2.9%2.9%3.2%6.4%
March5.3%4.3%2.9%1.7%
April0.8%0.5%0.2%0.1%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0%0.1%
August0%0%0%0.2%
September0.4%0.7%0.8%1.3%
October1.4%1.9%2.7%2.9%
November2.9%2.6%2.3%2.4%
December1.8%1.8%2.1%2.2%

Neighboring states

  • Illinois: arrives mid September, 1 week earlier than Indiana
  • Kentucky: arrives late October, 4 weeks later than Indiana
  • Ohio: arrives the second week of October, 2 weeks later than Indiana
  • Michigan: arrives the second week of September, 2 weeks earlier than Indiana

Common questions

When do Northern Pintails arrive in Indiana?
Northern Pintails are winter birds in Indiana: the first arrive in late September, they are common by early October, peak in early March (5.3% of checklists), and most are gone by late March.
When do Northern Pintails leave Indiana?
Most Northern Pintails have left Indiana by late March, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early April.
When is the best time to see a Northern Pintail in Indiana?
The Northern Pintail is reported most often in early March, on about 5.3% of Indiana checklists.
Where in Indiana are Northern Pintails seen most often?
By county, Adams County, Benton County, and Gibson County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Pintail (counties with at least 200 checklists).