WhenToBird

Bucephala albeola · Anatidae

When Do Buffleheads Arrive in Arkansas?

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

Buffleheads are winter birds in Arkansas: the first arrive in early November, they are common by mid November, peak in the second week of January (12% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.

When to look

First arrivalsNov 1-7early November
Common byNov 15-21mid November
PeakJan 8-14the second week of January
Most gone byMar 8-14the second week of March

Best: the second week of January. First arrivals early November; most are gone by the second week of March. Peak: on about 12% of Arkansas checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprrare
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octrare
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 12% of 5292 checklistsJan 8-14: 12% of 4085 checklistsJan 15-21: 11% of 4531 checklistsJan 22-31: 9.1% of 6500 checklistsFeb 1-7: 8.1% of 4752 checklistsFeb 8-14: 6.4% of 5385 checklistsFeb 15-21: 5.7% of 7219 checklistsFeb 22-28: 8.1% of 4163 checklistsMar 1-7: 7.5% of 3952 checklistsMar 8-14: 7.0% of 4067 checklistsMar 15-21: 4.9% of 4446 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.8% of 6911 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.3% of 5422 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.4% of 6043 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 6759 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 10236 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 8243 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 7467 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 6160 checklistsMay 22-31: 0% of 7287 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 4884 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 4444 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 3579 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 3858 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 3042 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 2889 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 2599 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 3825 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 2951 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 2765 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 2838 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 4360 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 3573 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 3314 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 3118 checklistsSep 22-30: 0% of 4381 checklistsOct 1-7: 0% of 3640 checklistsOct 8-14: 0% of 4119 checklistsOct 15-21: 0% of 3810 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.4% of 4956 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.4% of 3704 checklistsNov 8-14: 4.0% of 3678 checklistsNov 15-21: 6.6% of 3457 checklistsNov 22-30: 11% of 4648 checklistsDec 1-7: 10% of 3390 checklistsDec 8-14: 12% of 3510 checklistsDec 15-21: 10% of 4540 checklistsDec 22-31: 11% of 6404 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 Arkansas 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 Arkansas

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hot Spring CountyBest mid December · 14 checklists that week, 726 in all49%
  2. Cleburne CountyBest mid January · 136 checklists that week, 2,368 in all49%
  3. Fulton CountyBest early January · 23 checklists that week, 1,490 in all45%
  4. Yell CountyBest early December · 27 checklists that week, 2,585 in all42%
  5. Drew CountyBest late November · 16 checklists that week, 720 in all41%
  6. Clark CountyBest mid January · 14 checklists that week, 809 in all33%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Maumelle HarborPulaski County, best early March · 31 checklists that week, 333 in all92%
  2. Beaver Fork LakeFaulkner County, best the second week of January · 27 checklists that week, 1,008 in all92%
  3. Dardanelle Recreation AreaYell County, best the second week of January · 25 checklists that week, 192 in all91%
  4. Magness LakeCleburne County, best mid January · 40 checklists that week, 351 in all90%
  5. Vista ParkPulaski County, best early February · 42 checklists that week, 509 in all89%

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

Best time of day

In Arkansas, the Bufflehead is most often listed on checklists started between 2 and 4 pm (5.8% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%12 am: too few checklists (98) to judge1 am: too few checklists (88) to judge2 am: too few checklists (95) to judge3 am: too few checklists (94) to judge4 am: too few checklists (145) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1455) to judge6 am: 1.0% of 10807 checklists7 am: 1.8% of 27761 checklists8 am: 2.3% of 30943 checklists9 am: 3.5% of 26975 checklists10 am: 4.3% of 21989 checklists11 am: 4.7% of 16828 checklists12 pm: 4.8% of 14069 checklists1 pm: 5.5% of 13145 checklists2 pm: 6.0% of 12780 checklists3 pm: 5.7% of 12723 checklists4 pm: 4.6% of 12500 checklists5 pm: 1.8% of 9576 checklists6 pm: 0.4% of 7182 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (4187) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (1314) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (245) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (122) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (75) 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
January12%12%11%9.1%
February8.1%6.4%5.7%8.1%
March7.5%7.0%4.9%2.8%
April1.3%0.4%0.1%0.1%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0.1%0%0%
October0%0%0%0.4%
November1.4%4.0%6.6%11%
December10%12%10%11%

Neighboring states

  • Missouri: arrives early November, in the same week than Arkansas
  • Oklahoma: arrives late October, 1 week earlier than Arkansas
  • Kansas: arrives late October, 1 week earlier than Arkansas
  • Mississippi: arrives early November, in the same week than Arkansas

Common questions

When do Buffleheads arrive in Arkansas?
Buffleheads are winter birds in Arkansas: the first arrive in early November, they are common by mid November, peak in the second week of January (12% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.
When do Buffleheads leave Arkansas?
Most Buffleheads have left Arkansas by the second week of March, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early April.
When is the best time to see a Bufflehead in Arkansas?
The Bufflehead is reported most often in the second week of January, on about 12% of Arkansas checklists.
Where in Arkansas are Buffleheads seen most often?
By county, Hot Spring County, Cleburne County, and Fulton County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Bufflehead (counties with at least 200 checklists).