WhenToBird

Mareca americana · Anatidae

When Do American Wigeons Arrive in Alaska?

Adult American Wigeon
Photo: Frank Schulenburg, CC BY-SA 4.0 via iNaturalist

American Wigeons are in Alaska all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from mid April, peak in the second week of May (30% of checklists), and fall back by early June. In the quietest week (early March) they are still on about 3.3% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildApr 15-21mid April
PeakMay 8-14the second week of May
Fall back byJun 1-7early June
FewestMar 1-7early March

Best: the second week of May. Here all year; numbers build from mid April and fall back by early June. Peak: on about 30% of Alaska checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febrare
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decrare

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 3.5% of 3788 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.6% of 2852 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.3% of 2810 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.7% of 3629 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.1% of 2519 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.9% of 2927 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.8% of 3743 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.3% of 2846 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.5% of 2904 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.2% of 3073 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.7% of 3359 checklistsMar 22-31: 5.3% of 5855 checklistsApr 1-7: 6.7% of 4329 checklistsApr 8-14: 8.7% of 4949 checklistsApr 15-21: 15% of 7114 checklistsApr 22-30: 22% of 10916 checklistsMay 1-7: 30% of 11827 checklistsMay 8-14: 31% of 14115 checklistsMay 15-21: 29% of 12152 checklistsMay 22-31: 23% of 19919 checklistsJun 1-7: 17% of 15816 checklistsJun 8-14: 13% of 17194 checklistsJun 15-21: 9.1% of 15943 checklistsJun 22-30: 8.8% of 16192 checklistsJul 1-7: 5.7% of 9815 checklistsJul 8-14: 5.5% of 8263 checklistsJul 15-21: 5.0% of 7081 checklistsJul 22-31: 4.9% of 9434 checklistsAug 1-7: 6.5% of 6380 checklistsAug 8-14: 8.1% of 6258 checklistsAug 15-21: 11% of 6114 checklistsAug 22-31: 12% of 8189 checklistsSep 1-7: 12% of 5848 checklistsSep 8-14: 13% of 4853 checklistsSep 15-21: 14% of 4415 checklistsSep 22-30: 15% of 5086 checklistsOct 1-7: 17% of 3576 checklistsOct 8-14: 14% of 4212 checklistsOct 15-21: 13% of 3339 checklistsOct 22-31: 12% of 4169 checklistsNov 1-7: 9.0% of 2844 checklistsNov 8-14: 5.8% of 2753 checklistsNov 15-21: 5.5% of 2291 checklistsNov 22-30: 4.3% of 3066 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.4% of 2199 checklistsDec 8-14: 4.2% of 2472 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.2% of 3071 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.7% of 3442 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 Alaska 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 Alaska

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Fairbanks North Star BoroughBest mid May · 1695 checklists that week, 23,771 in all57%
  2. Northwest Arctic BoroughBest late September · 14 checklists that week, 1,386 in all55%
  3. Southeast Fairbanks Census AreaBest the second week of May · 66 checklists that week, 3,009 in all39%
  4. Anchorage MunicipalityBest mid May · 3032 checklists that week, 65,703 in all39%
  5. Kodiak Island BoroughBest early May · 302 checklists that week, 11,483 in all36%
  6. Copper River Census AreaBest the second week of May · 212 checklists that week, 3,467 in all36%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Entrance PointJuneau City and Borough, best late March · 24 checklists that week, 486 in all95%
  2. Homer Visitor Center Administrative SiteKenai Peninsula Borough, best late March · 22 checklists that week, 1,195 in all91%
  3. Anchorage Coastal Wildlife RefugeAnchorage Municipality, best the second week of May · 113 checklists that week, 735 in all90%

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

Best time of day

In Alaska, the American Wigeon is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 pm (18% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%12 am: too few checklists (549) to judge1 am: too few checklists (365) to judge2 am: too few checklists (291) to judge3 am: too few checklists (624) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1241) to judge5 am: too few checklists (3532) to judge6 am: 13% of 9751 checklists7 am: 15% of 17236 checklists8 am: 14% of 24936 checklists9 am: 12% of 30139 checklists10 am: 12% of 30866 checklists11 am: 11% of 28207 checklists12 pm: 11% of 25650 checklists1 pm: 11% of 24144 checklists2 pm: 12% of 23323 checklists3 pm: 12% of 20763 checklists4 pm: 13% of 18245 checklists5 pm: 16% of 14895 checklists6 pm: 18% of 11707 checklists7 pm: 18% of 9365 checklists8 pm: 19% of 6934 checklists9 pm: too few checklists (4176) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2050) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (952) 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
January3.5%3.6%3.3%3.7%
February3.1%3.9%3.8%3.3%
March3.5%3.2%3.7%5.3%
April6.7%8.7%15%22%
May30%31%29%23%
June17%13%9.1%8.8%
July5.7%5.5%5.0%4.9%
August6.5%8.1%11%12%
September12%13%14%15%
October17%14%13%12%
November9.0%5.8%5.5%4.3%
December3.4%4.2%3.2%3.7%

Neighboring states

  • Washington: arrives mid August, 16 weeks later than Alaska
  • Oregon: arrives late August, 17 weeks later than Alaska
  • Idaho: arrives early August, 14 weeks later than Alaska
  • Montana: arrives mid March, 4 weeks earlier than Alaska

Common questions

When do American Wigeons arrive in Alaska?
American Wigeons are in Alaska all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from mid April, peak in the second week of May (30% of checklists), and fall back by early June. In the quietest week (early March) they are still on about 3.3% of checklists.
When do American Wigeons leave Alaska?
American Wigeons never fully leave Alaska: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by early June, but some are still reported in every week, about 3.3% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a American Wigeon in Alaska?
The American Wigeon is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 30% of Alaska checklists.
Where in Alaska are American Wigeons seen most often?
By county, Fairbanks North Star Borough, Northwest Arctic Borough, and Southeast Fairbanks Census Area have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Wigeon (counties with at least 200 checklists).