WhenToBird

Aythya valisineria · Anatidae

When Do Canvasbacks Arrive in Iowa?

Adult male Canvasback
Photo: datadan, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Canvasbacks are winter birds in Iowa: the first arrive in mid October, they are common by late October, peak in the second week of March (9.5% of checklists), and most are gone by mid April.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 15-21mid October
Common byOct 22-31late October
PeakMar 8-14the second week of March
Most gone byApr 15-21mid April

Best: the second week of March. First arrivals mid October; most are gone by mid April. Peak: on about 9.5% of Iowa checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  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. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 1.7% of 5551 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.9% of 3498 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.2% of 3803 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.6% of 4807 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.5% of 3613 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.8% of 4173 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.1% of 5796 checklistsFeb 22-28: 5.3% of 4394 checklistsMar 1-7: 9.2% of 5295 checklistsMar 8-14: 9.2% of 5679 checklistsMar 15-21: 10% of 5418 checklistsMar 22-31: 6.6% of 8613 checklistsApr 1-7: 4.7% of 6970 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.4% of 7511 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.7% of 8321 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.8% of 11976 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.2% of 11725 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.2% of 12626 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.2% of 9372 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 10330 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 5472 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 4568 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 3870 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 4780 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 4201 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 3605 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 3621 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 5093 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 3931 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 3488 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.2% of 3802 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 6293 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 5328 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 4622 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 4367 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.2% of 6086 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 4708 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.4% of 4791 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.6% of 4429 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.8% of 5633 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.9% of 4090 checklistsNov 8-14: 4.8% of 3416 checklistsNov 15-21: 4.0% of 3398 checklistsNov 22-30: 4.0% of 4679 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.7% of 3442 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.5% of 3322 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.1% of 4619 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.2% 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. Hancock CountyBest mid March · 11 checklists that week, 449 in all49%
  2. Worth CountyBest late March · 10 checklists that week, 333 in all41%
  3. Cerro Gordo CountyBest the second week of March · 29 checklists that week, 1,853 in all34%
  4. Lee CountyBest early March · 33 checklists that week, 1,488 in all33%
  5. Louisa CountyBest the second week of March · 73 checklists that week, 1,639 in all31%
  6. Clay CountyBest late March · 17 checklists that week, 844 in all31%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Goose Lake PondJohnson County, best early March · 42 checklists that week, 404 in all62%
  2. Lake Manawa State ParkPottawattamie County, best the second week of March · 37 checklists that week, 599 in all55%
  3. John Deere MarshDubuque County, best mid March · 43 checklists that week, 1,952 in all54%
  4. Hendrickson Marsh Wildlife Management AreaStory County, best the second week of March · 36 checklists that week, 556 in all53%
  5. Storm LakeBuena Vista County, best mid March · 23 checklists that week, 836 in all49%

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

Best time of day

In Iowa, the Canvasback is most often listed on checklists started between 2 and 4 pm (2.5% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%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: 0.6% of 11313 checklists7 am: 1.4% of 25717 checklists8 am: 1.8% of 29755 checklists9 am: 2.0% of 28897 checklists10 am: 2.1% of 26343 checklists11 am: 2.2% of 21210 checklists12 pm: 2.4% of 17662 checklists1 pm: 2.4% of 16595 checklists2 pm: 2.5% of 16405 checklists3 pm: 2.5% of 17030 checklists4 pm: 2.4% of 17378 checklists5 pm: 2.0% of 14251 checklists6 pm: 1.1% of 10349 checklists7 pm: 0.5% 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
January1.7%1.9%1.2%1.6%
February1.5%1.8%2.1%5.3%
March9.2%9.2%10%6.6%
April4.7%2.4%1.7%0.8%
May0.2%0.2%0.2%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0%0.1%0%0%
August0.1%0.1%0.2%0.1%
September0.1%0.1%0.1%0.2%
October0.1%0.4%0.6%2.8%
November3.9%4.8%4.0%4.0%
December3.7%3.5%2.1%2.2%

Neighboring states

  • Missouri: arrives early November, 2 weeks later than Iowa
  • Wisconsin: arrives late February, 17 weeks later than Iowa
  • Minnesota: arrives late February, 17 weeks later than Iowa
  • Illinois: arrives early November, 2 weeks later than Iowa

Common questions

When do Canvasbacks arrive in Iowa?
Canvasbacks are winter birds in Iowa: the first arrive in mid October, they are common by late October, peak in the second week of March (9.5% of checklists), and most are gone by mid April.
When do Canvasbacks leave Iowa?
Most Canvasbacks have left Iowa by mid April, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Canvasback in Iowa?
The Canvasback is reported most often in the second week of March, on about 9.5% of Iowa checklists.
Where in Iowa are Canvasbacks seen most often?
By county, Hancock County, Worth County, and Cerro Gordo County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Canvasback (counties with at least 200 checklists).