WhenToBird

Anas rubripes · Anatidae

When Do American Black Ducks Arrive in Pennsylvania?

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

American Black Ducks are winter birds in Pennsylvania: the first arrive in late September, they are common by mid October, peak in early March (7.1% of checklists), and most are gone by early April.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 22-30late September
Common byOct 15-21mid October
PeakMar 1-7early March
Most gone byApr 1-7early April

Best: early March. First arrivals late September; most are gone by early April. Peak: on about 7.1% of Pennsylvania checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augrare
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 6.2% of 47145 checklistsJan 8-14: 6.0% of 35840 checklistsJan 15-21: 5.7% of 35423 checklistsJan 22-31: 5.8% of 49126 checklistsFeb 1-7: 5.6% of 36366 checklistsFeb 8-14: 5.1% of 42248 checklistsFeb 15-21: 4.4% of 55888 checklistsFeb 22-28: 7.0% of 42050 checklistsMar 1-7: 7.7% of 42709 checklistsMar 8-14: 6.6% of 43985 checklistsMar 15-21: 6.1% of 44547 checklistsMar 22-31: 4.4% of 66940 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.9% of 51147 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.6% of 54868 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.8% of 57252 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.4% of 81727 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.2% of 76472 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 79341 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 61724 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 70722 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 45652 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 41810 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 38973 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 44255 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 34822 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 31104 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.2% of 29262 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.2% of 41436 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.4% of 29189 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.4% of 28840 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.4% of 29948 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.4% of 48235 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.5% of 37175 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.4% of 36527 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.7% of 37261 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.0% of 43583 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.7% of 35352 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.4% of 35560 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.0% of 33119 checklistsOct 22-31: 4.3% of 44654 checklistsNov 1-7: 4.9% of 32965 checklistsNov 8-14: 5.7% of 31305 checklistsNov 15-21: 5.6% of 29471 checklistsNov 22-30: 6.1% of 38642 checklistsDec 1-7: 6.3% of 28779 checklistsDec 8-14: 6.1% of 29486 checklistsDec 15-21: 5.0% of 37465 checklistsDec 22-31: 5.5% of 50651 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Dauphin CountyBest mid November · 397 checklists that week, 35,877 in all28%
  2. Lancaster CountyBest early March · 2427 checklists that week, 97,892 in all19%
  3. Wyoming CountyBest early December · 73 checklists that week, 6,156 in all18%
  4. Lehigh CountyBest the second week of January · 807 checklists that week, 41,072 in all17%
  5. Wayne CountyBest late March · 388 checklists that week, 10,444 in all15%
  6. Clinton CountyBest the second week of March · 445 checklists that week, 17,285 in all14%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Muddy Run Recreation ParkLancaster County, best mid January · 21 checklists that week, 1,460 in all96%
  2. Doylestown Bike & Hike PathBucks County, best late March · 22 checklists that week, 779 in all95%
  3. WoodburyBedford County, best the second week of December · 45 checklists that week, 113 in all91%
  4. Upper Perkiomen ValleyMontgomery County, best the second week of November · 101 checklists that week, 3,798 in all89%
  5. Brinton LakeDelaware County, best mid December · 24 checklists that week, 191 in all88%

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

Best time of day

In Pennsylvania, the American Black Duck is most often listed on checklists started between 2 and 4 pm (3.8% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%12 am: too few checklists (1558) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1136) to judge2 am: too few checklists (839) to judge3 am: too few checklists (842) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2550) to judge5 am: too few checklists (18294) to judge6 am: 1.4% of 92903 checklists7 am: 2.3% of 241233 checklists8 am: 2.4% of 271994 checklists9 am: 2.8% of 236842 checklists10 am: 3.2% of 199508 checklists11 am: 3.3% of 161893 checklists12 pm: 3.3% of 143945 checklists1 pm: 3.7% of 134352 checklists2 pm: 3.8% of 129692 checklists3 pm: 3.8% of 126132 checklists4 pm: 3.0% of 115055 checklists5 pm: 1.8% of 90719 checklists6 pm: 0.9% of 67534 checklists7 pm: 0.4% of 43004 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (13966) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (3913) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1989) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1146) 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
January6.2%6.0%5.7%5.8%
February5.6%5.1%4.4%7.0%
March7.7%6.6%6.1%4.4%
April2.9%1.6%0.8%0.4%
May0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.2%0.2%
August0.4%0.4%0.4%0.4%
September0.5%0.4%0.7%1.0%
October1.7%2.4%3.0%4.3%
November4.9%5.7%5.6%6.1%
December6.3%6.1%5.0%5.5%

Neighboring states

  • Maryland: arrives mid September, 1 week earlier than Pennsylvania
  • District of Columbia: arrives early October, 1 week later than Pennsylvania
  • Delaware: arrives early November, 5 weeks later than Pennsylvania
  • New Jersey: arrives the second week of October, 2 weeks later than Pennsylvania

Common questions

When do American Black Ducks arrive in Pennsylvania?
American Black Ducks are winter birds in Pennsylvania: the first arrive in late September, they are common by mid October, peak in early March (7.1% of checklists), and most are gone by early April.
When do American Black Ducks leave Pennsylvania?
Most American Black Ducks have left Pennsylvania by early April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of April.
When is the best time to see a American Black Duck in Pennsylvania?
The American Black Duck is reported most often in early March, on about 7.1% of Pennsylvania checklists.
Where in Pennsylvania are American Black Ducks seen most often?
By county, Dauphin County, Lancaster County, and Wyoming County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Black Duck (counties with at least 200 checklists).