WhenToBird

Anas rubripes · Anatidae

When Do American Black Ducks Arrive in Connecticut?

Adult American Black Duck
Photo: Lisa Wiencek Gerbec, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

American Black Ducks are in Connecticut all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from late October, peak in the second week of March (19% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of April. In the quietest week (late June) they are still on about 2.3% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildOct 22-31late October
PeakMar 8-14the second week of March
Fall back byApr 8-14the second week of April
FewestJun 22-30late June

Best: the second week of March. Here all year; numbers build from late October and fall back by the second week of April. Peak: on about 19% of Connecticut checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 18% of 18950 checklistsJan 8-14: 19% of 13676 checklistsJan 15-21: 18% of 13377 checklistsJan 22-31: 19% of 17004 checklistsFeb 1-7: 17% of 10218 checklistsFeb 8-14: 15% of 11568 checklistsFeb 15-21: 13% of 15916 checklistsFeb 22-28: 18% of 11413 checklistsMar 1-7: 20% of 10754 checklistsMar 8-14: 19% of 12051 checklistsMar 15-21: 20% of 12616 checklistsMar 22-31: 19% of 17801 checklistsApr 1-7: 16% of 13186 checklistsApr 8-14: 11% of 14428 checklistsApr 15-21: 7.1% of 14738 checklistsApr 22-30: 3.9% of 21753 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.8% of 22494 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.6% of 23363 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.9% of 20219 checklistsMay 22-31: 3.4% of 20778 checklistsJun 1-7: 3.3% of 12234 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.9% of 12491 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.4% of 10856 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.2% of 11964 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.2% of 9437 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.8% of 8599 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.7% of 8252 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.7% of 11329 checklistsAug 1-7: 3.8% of 8116 checklistsAug 8-14: 4.1% of 8051 checklistsAug 15-21: 4.7% of 8502 checklistsAug 22-31: 4.5% of 13673 checklistsSep 1-7: 5.2% of 9873 checklistsSep 8-14: 4.9% of 9735 checklistsSep 15-21: 5.0% of 10120 checklistsSep 22-30: 6.3% of 12543 checklistsOct 1-7: 6.8% of 10735 checklistsOct 8-14: 9.3% of 10869 checklistsOct 15-21: 10% of 10436 checklistsOct 22-31: 13% of 13808 checklistsNov 1-7: 16% of 10507 checklistsNov 8-14: 17% of 9827 checklistsNov 15-21: 19% of 9904 checklistsNov 22-30: 19% of 13396 checklistsDec 1-7: 18% of 8974 checklistsDec 8-14: 17% of 9468 checklistsDec 15-21: 17% of 11614 checklistsDec 22-31: 17% of 16616 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 Connecticut 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 Connecticut

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Fairfield CountyBest mid January · 3646 checklists that week, 139,848 in all31%
  2. New Haven CountyBest mid March · 2709 checklists that week, 139,721 in all26%
  3. New London CountyBest the second week of March · 1294 checklists that week, 65,205 in all20%
  4. Middlesex CountyBest mid March · 853 checklists that week, 39,919 in all15%
  5. Litchfield CountyBest late November · 1376 checklists that week, 69,766 in all14%
  6. Windham CountyBest the second week of March · 358 checklists that week, 19,034 in all12%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Leetes IslandNew Haven County, best early March · 31 checklists that week, 1,057 in all98%
  2. Seaside ParkFairfield County, best early December · 27 checklists that week, 1,151 in all96%
  3. Great PondHartford County, best the second week of November · 21 checklists that week, 966 in all95%
  4. Burritt CoveFairfield County, best the second week of February · 23 checklists that week, 772 in all95%
  5. Greenwich HarborFairfield County, best early March · 32 checklists that week, 859 in all91%
  6. Burial Hill BeachFairfield County, best the second week of March · 30 checklists that week, 1,335 in all90%

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

Best time of day

In Connecticut, the American Black Duck is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (13% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (325) to judge1 am: too few checklists (367) to judge2 am: too few checklists (488) to judge3 am: too few checklists (792) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2722) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9489) to judge6 am: 6.4% of 33657 checklists7 am: 9.0% of 62964 checklists8 am: 10% of 70645 checklists9 am: 11% of 64870 checklists10 am: 13% of 58827 checklists11 am: 13% of 51689 checklists12 pm: 12% of 45288 checklists1 pm: 13% of 44765 checklists2 pm: 13% of 44173 checklists3 pm: 12% of 41979 checklists4 pm: 9.6% of 33219 checklists5 pm: 6.0% of 24828 checklists6 pm: 3.8% of 15856 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (8126) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (1994) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (533) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (349) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (286) 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
January18%19%18%19%
February17%15%13%18%
March20%19%20%19%
April16%11%7.1%3.9%
May2.8%2.6%2.9%3.4%
June3.3%2.9%2.4%2.2%
July2.2%2.8%2.7%3.7%
August3.8%4.1%4.7%4.5%
September5.2%4.9%5.0%6.3%
October6.8%9.3%10%13%
November16%17%19%19%
December18%17%17%17%

Neighboring states

  • Rhode Island: arrives early August, 11 weeks earlier than Connecticut
  • Massachusetts: arrives the second week of October, 2 weeks earlier than Connecticut
  • New Jersey: arrives the second week of October, 2 weeks earlier than Connecticut
  • New York: arrives late July, 12 weeks earlier than Connecticut

Common questions

When do American Black Ducks arrive in Connecticut?
American Black Ducks are in Connecticut all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from late October, peak in the second week of March (19% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of April. In the quietest week (late June) they are still on about 2.3% of checklists.
When do American Black Ducks leave Connecticut?
American Black Ducks never fully leave Connecticut: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by the second week of April, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.3% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a American Black Duck in Connecticut?
The American Black Duck is reported most often in the second week of March, on about 19% of Connecticut checklists.
Where in Connecticut are American Black Ducks seen most often?
By county, Fairfield County, New Haven County, and New London County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Black Duck (counties with at least 200 checklists).