WhenToBird

Dendrocygna autumnalis · Anatidae

When Do Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks Arrive in Texas?

Adult Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
Photo: Michelle W. （鍾偉瑋）, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks are in Texas all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from mid March, peak in mid April (18% of checklists), and fall back by late August. In the quietest week (the second week of February) they are still on about 4.6% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMar 15-21mid March
PeakApr 15-21mid April
Fall back byAug 22-31late August
FewestFeb 8-14the second week of February

Best: mid April. Here all year; numbers build from mid March and fall back by late August. Peak: on about 18% of Texas checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 5.6% of 66038 checklistsJan 8-14: 5.2% of 52445 checklistsJan 15-21: 4.7% of 52985 checklistsJan 22-31: 4.8% of 71020 checklistsFeb 1-7: 4.7% of 52306 checklistsFeb 8-14: 4.6% of 55887 checklistsFeb 15-21: 4.5% of 69016 checklistsFeb 22-28: 6.4% of 52998 checklistsMar 1-7: 7.8% of 50836 checklistsMar 8-14: 10% of 51749 checklistsMar 15-21: 12% of 53731 checklistsMar 22-31: 15% of 82049 checklistsApr 1-7: 16% of 65854 checklistsApr 8-14: 18% of 78434 checklistsApr 15-21: 19% of 92302 checklistsApr 22-30: 18% of 122878 checklistsMay 1-7: 16% of 74592 checklistsMay 8-14: 15% of 61008 checklistsMay 15-21: 14% of 43365 checklistsMay 22-31: 14% of 52736 checklistsJun 1-7: 14% of 31643 checklistsJun 8-14: 14% of 30131 checklistsJun 15-21: 14% of 26802 checklistsJun 22-30: 14% of 32822 checklistsJul 1-7: 15% of 27213 checklistsJul 8-14: 15% of 24555 checklistsJul 15-21: 14% of 24146 checklistsJul 22-31: 14% of 34536 checklistsAug 1-7: 14% of 25764 checklistsAug 8-14: 13% of 26347 checklistsAug 15-21: 12% of 28431 checklistsAug 22-31: 11% of 42838 checklistsSep 1-7: 11% of 35070 checklistsSep 8-14: 9.7% of 33893 checklistsSep 15-21: 9.0% of 32572 checklistsSep 22-30: 8.6% of 43771 checklistsOct 1-7: 7.9% of 34143 checklistsOct 8-14: 7.7% of 37563 checklistsOct 15-21: 7.4% of 36263 checklistsOct 22-31: 7.3% of 49170 checklistsNov 1-7: 9.1% of 43301 checklistsNov 8-14: 10% of 48744 checklistsNov 15-21: 6.7% of 42213 checklistsNov 22-30: 5.8% of 54455 checklistsDec 1-7: 6.2% of 40166 checklistsDec 8-14: 5.7% of 41035 checklistsDec 15-21: 4.9% of 46983 checklistsDec 22-31: 5.6% of 73015 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 Texas 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 Texas

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Fort Bend CountyBest mid June · 634 checklists that week, 57,229 in all61%
  2. Hidalgo CountyBest the second week of May · 1344 checklists that week, 119,045 in all58%
  3. Cameron CountyBest early June · 631 checklists that week, 117,506 in all51%
  4. McMullen CountyBest mid July · 19 checklists that week, 3,965 in all51%
  5. Bee CountyBest the second week of May · 115 checklists that week, 4,609 in all49%
  6. Atascosa CountyBest late June · 25 checklists that week, 1,566 in all46%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Bannworth ParkHidalgo County, best late December · 22 checklists that week, 154 in all100%
  2. Shores GreenwayHarris County, best late December · 24 checklists that week, 483 in all100%
  3. Exploration GreenHarris County, best early October · 25 checklists that week, 1,369 in all99%
  4. Lake HarlingenCameron County, best early January · 23 checklists that week, 382 in all98%
  5. Whitney Lake ParkSan Patricio County, best late May · 26 checklists that week, 867 in all98%

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

Best time of day

In Texas, the Black-bellied Whistling-Duck is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (18% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (898) to judge1 am: too few checklists (756) to judge2 am: too few checklists (663) to judge3 am: too few checklists (741) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1537) to judge5 am: too few checklists (6113) to judge6 am: 23% of 74687 checklists7 am: 17% of 285131 checklists8 am: 13% of 329960 checklists9 am: 9.2% of 267889 checklists10 am: 7.7% of 218205 checklists11 am: 6.8% of 178879 checklists12 pm: 6.6% of 153722 checklists1 pm: 7.0% of 144662 checklists2 pm: 7.2% of 138578 checklists3 pm: 7.7% of 136878 checklists4 pm: 8.5% of 137550 checklists5 pm: 11% of 113599 checklists6 pm: 15% of 81743 checklists7 pm: 16% of 53396 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (17221) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4048) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1965) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (990) 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
January5.6%5.2%4.7%4.8%
February4.7%4.6%4.5%6.4%
March7.8%10%12%15%
April16%18%19%18%
May16%15%14%14%
June14%14%14%14%
July15%15%14%14%
August14%13%12%11%
September11%9.7%9.0%8.6%
October7.9%7.7%7.4%7.3%
November9.1%10%6.7%5.8%
December6.2%5.7%4.9%5.6%

Neighboring states

  • Louisiana: arrives late March, 1 week later than Texas
  • Arkansas: arrives mid April, 4 weeks later than Texas
  • Mississippi: arrives early March, 2 weeks earlier than Texas
  • Alabama: arrives mid March, in the same week than Texas

Common questions

When do Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks arrive in Texas?
Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks are in Texas all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from mid March, peak in mid April (18% of checklists), and fall back by late August. In the quietest week (the second week of February) they are still on about 4.6% of checklists.
When do Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks leave Texas?
Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks never fully leave Texas: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by late August, but some are still reported in every week, about 4.6% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Black-bellied Whistling-Duck in Texas?
The Black-bellied Whistling-Duck is reported most often in mid April, on about 18% of Texas checklists.
Where in Texas are Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks seen most often?
By county, Fort Bend County, Hidalgo County, and Cameron County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Black-bellied Whistling-Duck (counties with at least 200 checklists).