WhenToBird

Antigone canadensis · Gruidae

When Do Sandhill Cranes Arrive in Indiana?

Adult Sandhill crane
Photo: Cathy Perkins, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Sandhill Cranes are in Indiana all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from the second week of February, peak in early March (13% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of March. In the quietest week (early July) they are still on about 2.5% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildFeb 8-14the second week of February
PeakMar 1-7early March
Fall back byMar 8-14the second week of March
FewestJul 1-7early July

Best: early March. Here all year; numbers build from the second week of February and fall back by the second week of March. Peak: on about 13% of Indiana checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 4.9% of 18123 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.5% of 12006 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.2% of 12403 checklistsJan 22-31: 4.2% of 16181 checklistsFeb 1-7: 9.0% of 12546 checklistsFeb 8-14: 7.2% of 14250 checklistsFeb 15-21: 10% of 18077 checklistsFeb 22-28: 15% of 13590 checklistsMar 1-7: 14% of 14545 checklistsMar 8-14: 10% of 14594 checklistsMar 15-21: 7.2% of 13894 checklistsMar 22-31: 5.5% of 22400 checklistsApr 1-7: 4.5% of 18069 checklistsApr 8-14: 4.1% of 19579 checklistsApr 15-21: 4.0% of 19518 checklistsApr 22-30: 3.6% of 30544 checklistsMay 1-7: 4.4% of 28430 checklistsMay 8-14: 4.9% of 30624 checklistsMay 15-21: 6.3% of 22920 checklistsMay 22-31: 4.1% of 21234 checklistsJun 1-7: 3.3% of 12279 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.7% of 10904 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.5% of 9488 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.3% of 11362 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.7% of 9947 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.5% of 9585 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.6% of 8929 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.9% of 12639 checklistsAug 1-7: 3.6% of 9528 checklistsAug 8-14: 3.0% of 9451 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.8% of 9442 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.9% of 14969 checklistsSep 1-7: 3.6% of 12628 checklistsSep 8-14: 3.3% of 11793 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.2% of 11396 checklistsSep 22-30: 3.6% of 14203 checklistsOct 1-7: 4.0% of 11365 checklistsOct 8-14: 4.2% of 12092 checklistsOct 15-21: 4.7% of 10440 checklistsOct 22-31: 4.7% of 13883 checklistsNov 1-7: 4.8% of 10476 checklistsNov 8-14: 5.3% of 9776 checklistsNov 15-21: 7.4% of 9035 checklistsNov 22-30: 9.8% of 12547 checklistsDec 1-7: 7.3% of 9078 checklistsDec 8-14: 5.9% of 8732 checklistsDec 15-21: 6.2% of 11024 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.9% 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. Pulaski CountyBest early December · 85 checklists that week, 1,160 in all94%
  2. Jasper CountyBest late January · 144 checklists that week, 1,586 in all72%
  3. Greene CountyBest early February · 343 checklists that week, 17,518 in all60%
  4. Jennings CountyBest late January · 19 checklists that week, 1,395 in all57%
  5. Steuben CountyBest the second week of March · 54 checklists that week, 4,396 in all55%
  6. Kosciusko CountyBest early March · 146 checklists that week, 8,359 in all55%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Jasper-Pulaski Fish and Wildlife AreaPulaski County, best late October · 27 checklists that week, 610 in all100%
  2. Boot LakeElkhart County, best the second week of October · 31 checklists that week, 1,007 in all98%
  3. Brookville LakeUnion County, best early February · 28 checklists that week, 438 in all97%
  4. Kankakee Fish and Wildlife Area (north)LaPorte County, best late February · 33 checklists that week, 209 in all96%
  5. Muscatatuck National Wildlife RefugeJackson County, best late January · 21 checklists that week, 913 in all95%
  6. Pisgah Marsh Nongame Area and BoardwalkKosciusko County, best late March · 26 checklists that week, 423 in all91%

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

Best time of day

In Indiana, the Sandhill Crane is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (6.6% of those checklists).

0%5%10%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: 8.6% of 20589 checklists7 am: 5.9% of 58470 checklists8 am: 4.2% of 86931 checklists9 am: 4.6% of 78239 checklists10 am: 5.1% of 66080 checklists11 am: 5.3% of 54904 checklists12 pm: 5.5% of 47610 checklists1 pm: 5.8% of 44814 checklists2 pm: 5.9% of 43790 checklists3 pm: 5.6% of 42983 checklists4 pm: 5.1% of 45349 checklists5 pm: 4.6% of 35993 checklists6 pm: 4.1% of 26447 checklists7 pm: 3.9% 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
January4.9%3.5%3.2%4.2%
February9.0%7.2%10%15%
March14%10%7.2%5.5%
April4.5%4.1%4.0%3.6%
May4.4%4.9%6.3%4.1%
June3.3%2.7%2.5%2.3%
July2.7%2.5%2.6%2.9%
August3.6%3.0%2.8%2.9%
September3.6%3.3%3.2%3.6%
October4.0%4.2%4.7%4.7%
November4.8%5.3%7.4%9.8%
December7.3%5.9%6.2%4.9%

Neighboring states

  • Illinois: arrives the second week of February, in the same week than Indiana
  • Kentucky: arrives the second week of November, 12 weeks earlier than Indiana
  • Ohio: arrives early July, 19 weeks later than Indiana
  • Michigan: arrives late February, 2 weeks later than Indiana

Common questions

When do Sandhill Cranes arrive in Indiana?
Sandhill Cranes are in Indiana all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from the second week of February, peak in early March (13% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of March. In the quietest week (early July) they are still on about 2.5% of checklists.
When do Sandhill Cranes leave Indiana?
Sandhill Cranes never fully leave Indiana: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by the second week of March, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.5% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Sandhill Crane in Indiana?
The Sandhill Crane is reported most often in early March, on about 13% of Indiana checklists.
Where in Indiana are Sandhill Cranes seen most often?
By county, Pulaski County, Jasper County, and Greene County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Sandhill Crane (counties with at least 200 checklists).