WhenToBird

Bucephala albeola · Anatidae

When Do Buffleheads Arrive in Kansas?

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

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

When to look

First arrivalsOct 22-31late October
Common byNov 1-7early November
PeakMar 15-21mid March
Most gone byApr 8-14the second week of April

Best: mid March. First arrivals late October; most are gone by the second week of April. Peak: on about 12% of Kansas checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 7.2% of 8683 checklistsJan 8-14: 6.7% of 5710 checklistsJan 15-21: 5.8% of 5453 checklistsJan 22-31: 5.6% of 7868 checklistsFeb 1-7: 5.7% of 5579 checklistsFeb 8-14: 5.5% of 6307 checklistsFeb 15-21: 5.0% of 7830 checklistsFeb 22-28: 8.5% of 6124 checklistsMar 1-7: 10% of 6442 checklistsMar 8-14: 13% of 6925 checklistsMar 15-21: 12% of 7257 checklistsMar 22-31: 12% of 11527 checklistsApr 1-7: 7.5% of 8908 checklistsApr 8-14: 5.0% of 11070 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.8% of 11050 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.0% of 16381 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.3% of 15899 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.2% of 15349 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 10474 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 11264 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 6783 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 5654 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 4716 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 6232 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 5073 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 4528 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 4210 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 5986 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 4661 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 4762 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 4823 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 7214 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 5989 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 5549 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 5255 checklistsSep 22-30: 0% of 7370 checklistsOct 1-7: 0% of 5829 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 6183 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.3% of 5504 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.1% of 7289 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.7% of 5535 checklistsNov 8-14: 8.4% of 5462 checklistsNov 15-21: 9.2% of 4929 checklistsNov 22-30: 9.9% of 6627 checklistsDec 1-7: 10% of 4670 checklistsDec 8-14: 7.8% of 4805 checklistsDec 15-21: 6.4% of 6341 checklistsDec 22-31: 5.5% of 8186 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 Kansas 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 Kansas

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Osage CountyBest the second week of March · 158 checklists that week, 3,723 in all51%
  2. Stafford CountyBest the second week of March · 88 checklists that week, 6,839 in all50%
  3. Rooks CountyBest the second week of March · 24 checklists that week, 514 in all46%
  4. Rawlins CountyBest the second week of April · 24 checklists that week, 522 in all38%
  5. Miami CountyBest the second week of December · 52 checklists that week, 5,634 in all37%
  6. Neosho CountyBest mid November · 39 checklists that week, 2,366 in all37%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Clinton Recreation AreaDouglas County, best early December · 69 checklists that week, 1,569 in all96%
  2. Melvern Recreation AreaOsage County, best mid February · 20 checklists that week, 493 in all88%
  3. Melvern LakeOsage County, best early January · 35 checklists that week, 327 in all84%
  4. Perry Recreation AreaJefferson County, best the second week of December · 28 checklists that week, 830 in all81%
  5. Quivira National Wildlife RefugeStafford County, best late March · 31 checklists that week, 1,247 in all72%

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

Best time of day

In Kansas, the Bufflehead is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (4.9% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (150) to judge1 am: too few checklists (119) to judge2 am: too few checklists (97) to judge3 am: too few checklists (94) to judge4 am: too few checklists (124) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1459) to judge6 am: 0.9% of 12550 checklists7 am: 2.3% of 34128 checklists8 am: 3.2% of 45960 checklists9 am: 4.0% of 37806 checklists10 am: 4.7% of 32102 checklists11 am: 5.0% of 25896 checklists12 pm: 4.5% of 24203 checklists1 pm: 5.0% of 20269 checklists2 pm: 4.8% of 20772 checklists3 pm: 4.4% of 20978 checklists4 pm: 4.2% of 22094 checklists5 pm: 2.8% of 17739 checklists6 pm: 1.6% of 13963 checklists7 pm: 0.9% of 10110 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (4188) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (968) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (325) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (171) 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
January7.2%6.7%5.8%5.6%
February5.7%5.5%5.0%8.5%
March10%13%12%12%
April7.5%5.0%2.8%1.0%
May0.3%0.2%0.1%0.1%
June0%0%0.1%0.1%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0.1%
September0%0%0%0%
October0%0.1%0.3%2.1%
November3.7%8.4%9.2%9.9%
December10%7.8%6.4%5.5%

Neighboring states

  • Nebraska: arrives the second week of February, 14 weeks later than Kansas
  • Oklahoma: arrives late October, in the same week than Kansas
  • Missouri: arrives early November, 1 week later than Kansas
  • Arkansas: arrives early November, 1 week later than Kansas

Common questions

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