WhenToBird

Spatula discors · Anatidae

When Do Blue-winged Teals Arrive in Iowa?

Adult female Blue-winged Teal
Photo: Guy Babineau, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Blue-winged Teals mostly pass through Iowa: the first show up in the second week of March, they are common by late March, peak in mid April (36% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 8-14the second week of March
Common byMar 22-31late March
PeakApr 15-21mid April
Most gone byMay 8-14the second week of May

Best: mid April. First arrivals the second week of March; most are gone by the second week of May. Peak: on about 36% of Iowa checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junrare
  7. Julrare
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novrare
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 5551 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 3498 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 3803 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 4807 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 3613 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 4173 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 5796 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 4394 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.3% of 5295 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.5% of 5679 checklistsMar 15-21: 7.5% of 5418 checklistsMar 22-31: 17% of 8613 checklistsApr 1-7: 28% of 6970 checklistsApr 8-14: 33% of 7511 checklistsApr 15-21: 38% of 8321 checklistsApr 22-30: 37% of 11976 checklistsMay 1-7: 24% of 11725 checklistsMay 8-14: 14% of 12626 checklistsMay 15-21: 11% of 9372 checklistsMay 22-31: 6.6% of 10330 checklistsJun 1-7: 4.1% of 5472 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.4% of 4568 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.8% of 3870 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.3% of 4780 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.2% of 4201 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.8% of 3605 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.0% of 3621 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.0% of 5093 checklistsAug 1-7: 2.8% of 3931 checklistsAug 8-14: 5.1% of 3488 checklistsAug 15-21: 6.5% of 3802 checklistsAug 22-31: 7.5% of 6293 checklistsSep 1-7: 7.3% of 5328 checklistsSep 8-14: 6.6% of 4622 checklistsSep 15-21: 8.2% of 4367 checklistsSep 22-30: 9.3% of 6086 checklistsOct 1-7: 7.5% of 4708 checklistsOct 8-14: 6.0% of 4791 checklistsOct 15-21: 4.1% of 4429 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.1% of 5633 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.3% of 4090 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.2% of 3416 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.4% of 3398 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.2% of 4679 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 3442 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 3322 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 4619 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 5113 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 Iowa 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 Iowa

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Louisa CountyBest mid April · 53 checklists that week, 1,639 in all74%
  2. Hamilton CountyBest mid April · 37 checklists that week, 965 in all73%
  3. Wright CountyBest the second week of April · 19 checklists that week, 551 in all71%
  4. Clarke CountyBest mid April · 11 checklists that week, 459 in all70%
  5. Sac CountyBest late April · 52 checklists that week, 1,085 in all70%
  6. Hardin CountyBest mid April · 39 checklists that week, 1,479 in all67%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Paul Errington Marsh Waterfowl Production AreaPolk County, best late April · 37 checklists that week, 512 in all97%
  2. Cone Marsh Wildlife Management AreaLouisa County, best early May · 29 checklists that week, 1,002 in all96%
  3. Bjorkboda MarshHamilton County, best late April · 32 checklists that week, 253 in all94%
  4. Jensen MarshMadison County, best late April · 26 checklists that week, 404 in all94%
  5. Desoto National Wildlife RefugeHarrison County, best the second week of April · 27 checklists that week, 661 in all94%

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

Best time of day

In Iowa, the Blue-winged Teal is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 pm (14% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (96) to judge1 am: too few checklists (99) to judge2 am: too few checklists (67) to judge3 am: too few checklists (82) to judge4 am: too few checklists (201) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1888) to judge6 am: 11% of 11313 checklists7 am: 8.7% of 25717 checklists8 am: 8.7% of 29755 checklists9 am: 8.6% of 28897 checklists10 am: 8.4% of 26343 checklists11 am: 8.7% of 21210 checklists12 pm: 9.0% of 17662 checklists1 pm: 8.2% of 16595 checklists2 pm: 8.5% of 16405 checklists3 pm: 8.9% of 17030 checklists4 pm: 9.7% of 17378 checklists5 pm: 13% of 14251 checklists6 pm: 14% of 10349 checklists7 pm: 12% of 6233 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2002) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (392) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (186) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (87) 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%0%0%
February0%0%0%0.1%
March0.3%2.5%7.5%17%
April28%33%38%37%
May24%14%11%6.6%
June4.1%2.4%1.8%1.3%
July1.2%0.8%1.0%2.0%
August2.8%5.1%6.5%7.5%
September7.3%6.6%8.2%9.3%
October7.5%6.0%4.1%2.1%
November1.3%1.2%0.4%0.2%
December0.1%0.1%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Missouri: arrives early March, 1 week earlier than Iowa
  • Wisconsin: arrives the second week of March, in the same week than Iowa
  • Minnesota: arrives mid March, 1 week later than Iowa
  • Illinois: arrives the second week of March, in the same week than Iowa

Common questions

When do Blue-winged Teals arrive in Iowa?
Blue-winged Teals mostly pass through Iowa: the first show up in the second week of March, they are common by late March, peak in mid April (36% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of May.
When do Blue-winged Teals leave Iowa?
Most Blue-winged Teals have left Iowa by the second week of May, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of June.
When is the best time to see a Blue-winged Teal in Iowa?
The Blue-winged Teal is reported most often in mid April, on about 36% of Iowa checklists.
Where in Iowa are Blue-winged Teals seen most often?
By county, Louisa County, Hamilton County, and Wright County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Blue-winged Teal (counties with at least 200 checklists).