WhenToBird

Bucephala albeola · Anatidae

When Do Buffleheads Arrive in Texas?

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

Buffleheads are winter birds in Texas: the first arrive in early November, they are common by the second week of November, peak in early January (5.3% of checklists), and most are gone by mid March.

When to look

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

Best: early January. First arrivals early November; most are gone by mid March. Peak: on about 5.3% of Texas checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marcommon
  4. Apruncommon
  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%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 5.4% of 66038 checklistsJan 8-14: 5.2% of 52445 checklistsJan 15-21: 5.1% of 52985 checklistsJan 22-31: 4.8% of 71020 checklistsFeb 1-7: 4.4% of 52306 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.9% of 55887 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.4% of 69016 checklistsFeb 22-28: 4.0% of 52998 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.9% of 50836 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.5% of 51749 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.5% of 53731 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.5% of 82049 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.7% of 65854 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.4% of 78434 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.2% of 92302 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 122878 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 74592 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 61008 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 43365 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 52736 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 31643 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 30131 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 26802 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 32822 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 27213 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 24555 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 24146 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 34536 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 25764 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 26347 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 28431 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 42838 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 35070 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 33893 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 32572 checklistsSep 22-30: 0% of 43771 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 34143 checklistsOct 8-14: 0% of 37563 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 36263 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.5% of 49170 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.0% of 43301 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.2% of 48744 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.7% of 42213 checklistsNov 22-30: 5.0% of 54455 checklistsDec 1-7: 5.0% of 40166 checklistsDec 8-14: 5.0% of 41035 checklistsDec 15-21: 5.0% of 46983 checklistsDec 22-31: 5.2% 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. McMullen CountyBest mid December · 199 checklists that week, 3,965 in all43%
  2. Concho CountyBest early December · 13 checklists that week, 602 in all37%
  3. Nolan CountyBest the second week of November · 14 checklists that week, 680 in all33%
  4. Mitchell CountyBest mid February · 14 checklists that week, 734 in all31%
  5. Lynn CountyBest early April · 21 checklists that week, 1,052 in all30%
  6. Pecos CountyBest mid December · 23 checklists that week, 2,155 in all30%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Fin Feather LakeBrazos County, best the second week of January · 22 checklists that week, 493 in all99%
  2. Walter E. Long Metro ParkTravis County, best the second week of February · 20 checklists that week, 938 in all97%
  3. Keystone HeritageEl Paso County, best late February · 31 checklists that week, 1,592 in all94%
  4. Lady Bird LakeTravis County, best the second week of January · 21 checklists that week, 738 in all93%

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

Best time of day

In Texas, the Bufflehead is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (2.5% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%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: 0.9% of 74687 checklists7 am: 1.6% of 285131 checklists8 am: 2.0% of 329960 checklists9 am: 2.0% of 267889 checklists10 am: 2.3% of 218205 checklists11 am: 2.4% of 178879 checklists12 pm: 2.3% of 153722 checklists1 pm: 2.4% of 144662 checklists2 pm: 2.6% of 138578 checklists3 pm: 2.3% of 136878 checklists4 pm: 2.0% of 137550 checklists5 pm: 1.3% of 113599 checklists6 pm: 0.4% of 81743 checklists7 pm: 0.1% 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
January5.4%5.2%5.1%4.8%
February4.4%3.9%3.4%4.0%
March3.9%3.5%2.5%1.5%
April0.7%0.4%0.2%0.1%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0.1%0%0%
September0%0%0%0%
October0.1%0%0.1%0.5%
November1.0%2.2%3.7%5.0%
December5.0%5.0%5.0%5.2%

Neighboring states

  • Louisiana: arrives the second week of November, 1 week later than Texas
  • Oklahoma: arrives late October, 1 week earlier than Texas
  • Arkansas: arrives early November, in the same week than Texas
  • Mississippi: arrives early November, in the same week than Texas

Common questions

When do Buffleheads arrive in Texas?
Buffleheads are winter birds in Texas: the first arrive in early November, they are common by the second week of November, peak in early January (5.3% of checklists), and most are gone by mid March.
When do Buffleheads leave Texas?
Most Buffleheads have left Texas by mid March, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late March.
When is the best time to see a Bufflehead in Texas?
The Bufflehead is reported most often in early January, on about 5.3% of Texas checklists.
Where in Texas are Buffleheads seen most often?
By county, McMullen County, Concho County, and Nolan County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Bufflehead (counties with at least 200 checklists).