WhenToBird

Melospiza melodia · Passerellidae

When Do Song Sparrows Arrive in Indiana?

Adult Song Sparrow
Photo: Bill Keim, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Song Sparrows are in Indiana all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from late February, peak in the second week of July (49% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of August. In the quietest week (the second week of September) they are still on about 17% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildFeb 22-28late February
PeakJul 8-14the second week of July
Fall back byAug 8-14the second week of August
FewestSep 8-14the second week of September

Best: the second week of July. Here all year; numbers build from late February and fall back by the second week of August. Peak: on about 49% of Indiana checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 23% of 18123 checklistsJan 8-14: 25% of 12006 checklistsJan 15-21: 25% of 12403 checklistsJan 22-31: 24% of 16181 checklistsFeb 1-7: 25% of 12546 checklistsFeb 8-14: 27% of 14250 checklistsFeb 15-21: 28% of 18077 checklistsFeb 22-28: 35% of 13590 checklistsMar 1-7: 40% of 14545 checklistsMar 8-14: 45% of 14594 checklistsMar 15-21: 47% of 13894 checklistsMar 22-31: 48% of 22400 checklistsApr 1-7: 47% of 18069 checklistsApr 8-14: 48% of 19579 checklistsApr 15-21: 49% of 19518 checklistsApr 22-30: 50% of 30544 checklistsMay 1-7: 47% of 28430 checklistsMay 8-14: 47% of 30624 checklistsMay 15-21: 47% of 22920 checklistsMay 22-31: 49% of 21234 checklistsJun 1-7: 47% of 12279 checklistsJun 8-14: 47% of 10904 checklistsJun 15-21: 47% of 9488 checklistsJun 22-30: 47% of 11362 checklistsJul 1-7: 48% of 9947 checklistsJul 8-14: 49% of 9585 checklistsJul 15-21: 49% of 8929 checklistsJul 22-31: 48% of 12639 checklistsAug 1-7: 45% of 9528 checklistsAug 8-14: 39% of 9451 checklistsAug 15-21: 33% of 9442 checklistsAug 22-31: 23% of 14969 checklistsSep 1-7: 18% of 12628 checklistsSep 8-14: 17% of 11793 checklistsSep 15-21: 17% of 11396 checklistsSep 22-30: 20% of 14203 checklistsOct 1-7: 26% of 11365 checklistsOct 8-14: 33% of 12092 checklistsOct 15-21: 36% of 10440 checklistsOct 22-31: 36% of 13883 checklistsNov 1-7: 33% of 10476 checklistsNov 8-14: 29% of 9776 checklistsNov 15-21: 26% of 9035 checklistsNov 22-30: 25% of 12547 checklistsDec 1-7: 24% of 9078 checklistsDec 8-14: 24% of 8732 checklistsDec 15-21: 27% of 11024 checklistsDec 22-31: 24% 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. Rush CountyBest the second week of June · 11 checklists that week, 460 in all88%
  2. Adams CountyBest the second week of June · 19 checklists that week, 1,306 in all83%
  3. Shelby CountyBest mid June · 10 checklists that week, 625 in all82%
  4. Jay CountyBest early July · 22 checklists that week, 1,334 in all79%
  5. Washington CountyBest the second week of August · 19 checklists that week, 1,463 in all79%
  6. Brown CountyBest late January · 96 checklists that week, 5,917 in all79%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Vaughn HollowBrown County, best late February · 24 checklists that week, 919 in all100%
  2. Eagle Marsh (Country Club Gardens)Allen County, best early July · 23 checklists that week, 915 in all100%
  3. Central ParkHamilton County, best late July · 21 checklists that week, 1,993 in all100%
  4. Beckenholdt ParkHancock County, best late May · 33 checklists that week, 684 in all99%
  5. West ParkHamilton County, best late July · 21 checklists that week, 778 in all98%

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

Best time of day

In Indiana, the Song Sparrow is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (50% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%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: 56% of 20589 checklists7 am: 48% of 58470 checklists8 am: 45% of 86931 checklists9 am: 41% of 78239 checklists10 am: 37% of 66080 checklists11 am: 34% of 54904 checklists12 pm: 32% of 47610 checklists1 pm: 32% of 44814 checklists2 pm: 30% of 43790 checklists3 pm: 30% of 42983 checklists4 pm: 30% of 45349 checklists5 pm: 31% of 35993 checklists6 pm: 34% of 26447 checklists7 pm: 34% 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
January23%25%25%24%
February25%27%28%35%
March40%45%47%48%
April47%48%49%50%
May47%47%47%49%
June47%47%47%47%
July48%49%49%48%
August45%39%33%23%
September18%17%17%20%
October26%33%36%36%
November33%29%26%25%
December24%24%27%24%

Neighboring states

  • Illinois: arrives the second week of March, 2 weeks later than Indiana
  • Kentucky: year-round, peaks the second week of March
  • Ohio: arrives early March, 1 week later than Indiana
  • Michigan: arrives mid March, 3 weeks later than Indiana

Common questions

When do Song Sparrows arrive in Indiana?
Song Sparrows are in Indiana all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from late February, peak in the second week of July (49% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of August. In the quietest week (the second week of September) they are still on about 17% of checklists.
When do Song Sparrows leave Indiana?
Song Sparrows never fully leave Indiana: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by the second week of August, but some are still reported in every week, about 17% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Song Sparrow in Indiana?
The Song Sparrow is reported most often in the second week of July, on about 49% of Indiana checklists.
Where in Indiana are Song Sparrows seen most often?
By county, Rush County, Adams County, and Shelby County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Song Sparrow (counties with at least 200 checklists).