WhenToBird

Rallus limicola · Rallidae

When Do Virginia Rails Arrive in Indiana?

Adult Virginia Rail
Photo: sprcrkwild, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Virginia Rails mostly pass through Indiana: they arrive in the second week of April, peak in the second week of May (1.3% of checklists), and most are gone by late May.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 8-14the second week of April
Common byApr 8-14the second week of April
PeakMay 8-14the second week of May
Most gone byMay 22-31late May

Best: the second week of May. First arrivals the second week of April; most are gone by late May. Peak: on about 1.3% of Indiana checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marrare
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Julrare
  8. Augrare
  9. Seprare
  10. Octrare
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 18123 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 12006 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 12403 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 16181 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 12546 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 14250 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 18077 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 13590 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.1% of 14545 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 14594 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 13894 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 22400 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.3% of 18069 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.5% of 19579 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.1% of 19518 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.1% of 30544 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.3% of 28430 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.2% of 30624 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.5% of 22920 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.6% of 21234 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.4% of 12279 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.4% of 10904 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.2% of 9488 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 11362 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.2% of 9947 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.2% of 9585 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.2% of 8929 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.2% of 12639 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.2% of 9528 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 9451 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 9442 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 14969 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 12628 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 11793 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 11396 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 14203 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 11365 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 12092 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 10440 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.2% of 13883 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.3% of 10476 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.2% of 9776 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 9035 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 12547 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 9078 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 8732 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 11024 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Indiana

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Benton CountyBest the second week of May · 21 checklists that week, 993 in all12%
  2. Porter CountyBest early May · 1671 checklists that week, 29,087 in all7.3%
  3. Kosciusko CountyBest early May · 268 checklists that week, 8,359 in all6.4%
  4. Wabash CountyBest late April · 97 checklists that week, 2,218 in all4.9%
  5. Steuben CountyBest early May · 153 checklists that week, 4,396 in all3.8%
  6. Adams CountyBest early May · 49 checklists that week, 1,306 in all3.4%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Central Park (Home Place)Hamilton County, best early November · 23 checklists that week, 140 in all66%
  2. Indiana Dunes National Park (southwest)Porter County, best the second week of May · 46 checklists that week, 343 in all37%
  3. Cowles BogPorter County, best early May · 191 checklists that week, 2,662 in all36%
  4. Indiana Dunes National ParkPorter County, best early May · 105 checklists that week, 1,960 in all25%
  5. Eagle MarshAllen County, best late April · 72 checklists that week, 1,450 in all24%

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

Best time of day

In Indiana, the Virginia Rail is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (0.7% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%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: 1.3% of 20589 checklists7 am: 0.5% of 58470 checklists8 am: 0.3% of 86931 checklists9 am: 0.3% of 78239 checklists10 am: 0.2% of 66080 checklists11 am: 0.2% of 54904 checklists12 pm: 0.2% of 47610 checklists1 pm: 0.2% of 44814 checklists2 pm: 0.2% of 43790 checklists3 pm: 0.2% of 42983 checklists4 pm: 0.3% of 45349 checklists5 pm: 0.4% of 35993 checklists6 pm: 0.5% of 26447 checklists7 pm: 0.5% 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
January0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
February0.1%0%0.1%0.1%
March0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
April0.3%0.5%1.1%1.1%
May1.3%1.2%1.5%0.6%
June0.4%0.4%0.2%0.1%
July0.2%0.2%0.2%0.2%
August0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
October0.1%0.1%0.1%0.2%
November0.3%0.2%0.1%0.1%
December0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • Illinois: arrives early April, 1 week earlier than Indiana
  • Ohio: arrives early April, 1 week earlier than Indiana
  • Michigan: arrives early April, 1 week earlier than Indiana
  • Wisconsin: arrives mid April, 1 week later than Indiana

Common questions

When do Virginia Rails arrive in Indiana?
Virginia Rails mostly pass through Indiana: they arrive in the second week of April, peak in the second week of May (1.3% of checklists), and most are gone by late May.
When do Virginia Rails leave Indiana?
Most Virginia Rails have left Indiana by late May, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Virginia Rail in Indiana?
The Virginia Rail is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 1.3% of Indiana checklists.
Where in Indiana are Virginia Rails seen most often?
By county, Benton County, Porter County, and Kosciusko County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Virginia Rail (counties with at least 200 checklists).