WhenToBird

Branta hutchinsii · Anatidae

When Do Cackling Geese Arrive in Iowa?

Adult Cackling Goose
Photo: Tser, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Cackling Geese are winter birds in Iowa: the first arrive in early November, they are common by the second week of November, peak in the second week of December (6.5% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.

When to look

First arrivalsNov 1-7early November
Common byNov 8-14the second week of November
PeakDec 8-14the second week of December
Most gone byMar 8-14the second week of March

Best: the second week of December. First arrivals early November; most are gone by the second week of March. Peak: on about 6.5% of Iowa checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  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%Jan 1-7: 4.8% of 5551 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.2% of 3498 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.3% of 3803 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.2% of 4807 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.7% of 3613 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.8% of 4173 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.7% of 5796 checklistsFeb 22-28: 4.1% of 4394 checklistsMar 1-7: 4.1% of 5295 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.9% of 5679 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.1% of 5418 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.8% of 8613 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.3% of 6970 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.2% of 7511 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.2% of 8321 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 11976 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 11725 checklistsMay 8-14: 0% of 12626 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 9372 checklistsMay 22-31: 0% of 10330 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 5472 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 4568 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 3870 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 4780 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 4201 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 3605 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 3621 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 5093 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 3931 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 3488 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 3802 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 6293 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 5328 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 4622 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 4367 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 6086 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 4708 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 4791 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.5% of 4429 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.8% of 5633 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.6% of 4090 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.1% of 3416 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.7% of 3398 checklistsNov 22-30: 4.6% of 4679 checklistsDec 1-7: 8.1% of 3442 checklistsDec 8-14: 6.1% of 3322 checklistsDec 15-21: 5.6% of 4619 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.9% 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. Carroll CountyBest early December · 17 checklists that week, 1,515 in all42%
  2. Decatur CountyBest late November · 31 checklists that week, 2,962 in all36%
  3. Cass CountyBest late November · 10 checklists that week, 449 in all36%
  4. Dickinson CountyBest early December · 23 checklists that week, 2,030 in all26%
  5. Union CountyBest the second week of January · 12 checklists that week, 1,133 in all24%
  6. Monona CountyBest mid February · 10 checklists that week, 655 in all22%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. West LakeJohnson County, best late December · 22 checklists that week, 307 in all57%
  2. Dale Maffit Reservoir (east)Polk County, best late December · 24 checklists that week, 360 in all55%
  3. Big G LakeDecatur County, best early December · 28 checklists that week, 103 in all49%
  4. Polk City RefugePolk County, best late January · 24 checklists that week, 705 in all49%
  5. Ada Hayden Heritage ParkStory County, best the second week of December · 27 checklists that week, 1,681 in all47%
  6. Prairie Lakes ParkBlack Hawk County, best early December · 22 checklists that week, 986 in all43%

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

Best time of day

In Iowa, the Cackling Goose is most often listed on checklists started between 2 and 4 pm (1.7% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%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: 0.4% of 11313 checklists7 am: 1.1% of 25717 checklists8 am: 1.4% of 29755 checklists9 am: 1.3% of 28897 checklists10 am: 1.3% of 26343 checklists11 am: 1.5% of 21210 checklists12 pm: 1.7% of 17662 checklists1 pm: 1.6% of 16595 checklists2 pm: 1.7% of 16405 checklists3 pm: 1.8% of 17030 checklists4 pm: 1.6% of 17378 checklists5 pm: 0.6% of 14251 checklists6 pm: 0.3% of 10349 checklists7 pm: 0.1% 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
January4.8%3.2%2.3%2.2%
February2.7%2.8%2.7%4.1%
March4.1%2.9%2.1%0.8%
April0.3%0.2%0.2%0.1%
May0.1%0%0.1%0%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0%0.1%
October0.1%0.1%0.5%0.8%
November1.6%3.1%3.7%4.6%
December8.1%6.1%5.6%4.9%

Neighboring states

  • Missouri: arrives mid November, 2 weeks later than Iowa
  • Wisconsin: arrives the second week of February, 13 weeks later than Iowa
  • Minnesota: arrives late February, 15 weeks later than Iowa
  • Illinois: arrives mid October, 2 weeks earlier than Iowa

Common questions

When do Cackling Geese arrive in Iowa?
Cackling Geese are winter birds in Iowa: the first arrive in early November, they are common by the second week of November, peak in the second week of December (6.5% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.
When do Cackling Geese leave Iowa?
Most Cackling Geese have left Iowa by the second week of March, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid March.
When is the best time to see a Cackling Goose in Iowa?
The Cackling Goose is reported most often in the second week of December, on about 6.5% of Iowa checklists.
Where in Iowa are Cackling Geese seen most often?
By county, Carroll County, Decatur County, and Cass County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Cackling Goose (counties with at least 200 checklists).