WhenToBird

Bucephala albeola · Anatidae

Bufflehead: When and Where to See It

Adult Bufflehead
Photo: Robert Harris, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Bufflehead reaches Alaska first, around early September, and Florida last, around mid November.

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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0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 12% of 1114036 checklistsJan 8-14: 12% of 824708 checklistsJan 15-21: 11% of 825978 checklistsJan 22-31: 11% of 1105853 checklistsFeb 1-7: 10% of 779772 checklistsFeb 8-14: 9.2% of 864504 checklistsFeb 15-21: 8.3% of 1127933 checklistsFeb 22-28: 10% of 840124 checklistsMar 1-7: 11% of 839610 checklistsMar 8-14: 11% of 870138 checklistsMar 15-21: 12% of 898456 checklistsMar 22-31: 11% of 1335637 checklistsApr 1-7: 10% of 1030617 checklistsApr 8-14: 8.6% of 1124024 checklistsApr 15-21: 6.8% of 1194575 checklistsApr 22-30: 4.7% of 1675723 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.7% of 1449080 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.3% of 1538353 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.7% of 1219898 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.4% of 1452282 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.3% of 900636 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.3% of 829907 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.2% of 773255 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.2% of 916255 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.2% of 717733 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.2% of 658223 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.2% of 638752 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.2% of 895727 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.2% of 655651 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.2% of 650038 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.2% of 654639 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.2% of 974928 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.2% of 765914 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.2% of 738674 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.2% of 750433 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.2% of 944196 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.3% of 760106 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.6% of 793131 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.6% of 728727 checklistsOct 22-31: 4.2% of 959954 checklistsNov 1-7: 7.8% of 709464 checklistsNov 8-14: 11% of 693424 checklistsNov 15-21: 12% of 653952 checklistsNov 22-30: 12% of 871137 checklistsDec 1-7: 12% of 627591 checklistsDec 8-14: 11% of 642427 checklistsDec 15-21: 10% of 775638 checklistsDec 22-31: 11% of 1132751 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Pooled across every state in the data, so it leans toward states with the most birders.

States, in order of first arrivals

StatePatternFirst arrivalsPeakMost gone byPeak %
MinnesotaSummer visitorMar 1-7Apr 8-14May 8-1419%
North DakotaSummer visitorMar 15-21Apr 15-21Jul 15-2115%
South DakotaSummer visitorOct 1-7Apr 1-7May 1-717%
MichiganSummer visitorOct 8-14Apr 1-7May 1-722%
WisconsinSummer visitorOct 8-14Apr 1-7May 1-720%
New HampshireSummer visitorOct 15-21Apr 1-7Apr 22-307.9%
VermontSummer visitorOct 15-21Apr 1-7May 1-79.1%
OregonWinter visitorOct 8-14Jan 22-31Apr 22-3022%
ColoradoWinter visitorOct 8-14Nov 15-21May 1-717%
NevadaWinter visitorOct 8-14Nov 15-21Apr 15-2117%
WashingtonWinter visitorOct 15-21Jan 15-21Apr 22-3034%
CaliforniaWinter visitorOct 15-21Jan 8-14Apr 1-721%
MassachusettsWinter visitorOct 15-21Jan 8-14Apr 8-1421%
MaineWinter visitorOct 15-21Jan 8-14Apr 15-2118%
New YorkWinter visitorOct 15-21Mar 22-31Apr 15-2116%
ConnecticutWinter visitorOct 15-21Jan 1-7Apr 8-1412%
New MexicoWinter visitorOct 15-21Nov 15-21Apr 15-218.7%
ArizonaWinter visitorOct 15-21Nov 22-30Apr 1-77.1%
UtahWinter visitorOct 15-21Mar 22-31Apr 22-307.3%
Rhode IslandWinter visitorOct 22-31Dec 15-21Apr 8-1428%
DelawareWinter visitorOct 22-31Jan 22-31Mar 22-3124%
New JerseyWinter visitorOct 22-31Jan 15-21Apr 8-1420%
District of ColumbiaWinter visitorOct 22-31Dec 22-31Mar 15-2120%
MarylandWinter visitorOct 22-31Jan 1-7Apr 1-719%
VirginiaWinter visitorOct 22-31Jan 22-31Mar 22-3118%
IllinoisWinter visitorOct 22-31Mar 15-21Apr 15-2115%
IndianaWinter visitorOct 22-31Mar 15-21Apr 8-1414%
OhioWinter visitorOct 22-31Mar 15-21Apr 15-2114%
OklahomaWinter visitorOct 22-31Jan 8-14Mar 22-3113%
KansasWinter visitorOct 22-31Mar 15-21Apr 8-1412%
PennsylvaniaWinter visitorOct 22-31Mar 22-31Apr 15-2111%
West VirginiaWinter visitorOct 22-31Nov 15-21Apr 1-79.8%
MississippiWinter visitorNov 1-7Jan 8-14Mar 1-713%
ArkansasWinter visitorNov 1-7Jan 8-14Mar 8-1412%
North CarolinaWinter visitorNov 1-7Jan 8-14Mar 15-2111%
TennesseeWinter visitorNov 1-7Dec 8-14Mar 15-218.4%
KentuckyWinter visitorNov 1-7Mar 1-7Apr 1-76.8%
MissouriWinter visitorNov 1-7Mar 8-14Apr 1-76.0%
TexasWinter visitorNov 1-7Jan 1-7Mar 15-215.3%
South CarolinaWinter visitorNov 8-14Jan 1-7Mar 15-2112%
AlabamaWinter visitorNov 8-14Dec 22-31Mar 8-148.2%
GeorgiaWinter visitorNov 8-14Jan 8-14Mar 15-214.3%
LouisianaWinter visitorNov 8-14Jan 8-14Feb 22-284.8%
HawaiiWinter visitorNov 8-14Nov 22-30Feb 22-281.3%
FloridaWinter visitorNov 15-21Jan 8-14Mar 8-143.5%
IowaWinter visitorFeb 8-14Mar 22-31Apr 22-3019%
NebraskaWinter visitorFeb 8-14Mar 22-31Apr 22-3017%
IdahoWinter visitorAug 1-7Nov 1-7May 1-713%
MontanaWinter visitorAug 15-21Nov 1-7May 15-2116%
WyomingWinter visitorAug 15-21Nov 8-14Jun 8-1411%
AlaskaWinter visitorSep 1-7Nov 1-7May 8-1422%

Winter visitor in: New York, Utah, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kansas, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming

Summer visitor in: Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Michigan, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, Vermont