WhenToBird

Aythya valisineria · Anatidae

When Do Canvasbacks Arrive in Kentucky?

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

Canvasbacks are winter birds in Kentucky: they arrive in early December, peak in late January (3.5% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.

When to look

First arrivalsDec 1-7early December
Common byDec 1-7early December
PeakJan 22-31late January
Most gone byMar 8-14the second week of March

Best: late January. First arrivals early December; most are gone by the second week of March. Peak: on about 3.5% of Kentucky checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  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. Octnot usually seen
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 1.9% of 6923 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.2% of 4900 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.2% of 5016 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.7% of 6611 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.5% of 4986 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.9% of 5677 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.7% of 8880 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.0% of 5567 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.5% of 5397 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.0% of 5462 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.8% of 5733 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.5% of 9043 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% of 6763 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 7498 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 8486 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 13396 checklistsMay 1-7: 0% of 10825 checklistsMay 8-14: 0% of 11495 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 7363 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 8800 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 5381 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 5244 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 4730 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 5470 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 4567 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 4287 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 4097 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 6044 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 4647 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 4256 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 4484 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 6434 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 5450 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 5157 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 5530 checklistsSep 22-30: 0% of 6710 checklistsOct 1-7: 0% of 5403 checklistsOct 8-14: 0% of 5943 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 4873 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 6584 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 5008 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.2% of 4677 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.2% of 4419 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.3% of 5933 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.4% of 4479 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.5% of 4687 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.8% of 6239 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.2% of 7976 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 Kentucky 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 Kentucky

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Marion CountyBest late December · 16 checklists that week, 371 in all42%
  2. Union CountyBest late January · 10 checklists that week, 747 in all25%
  3. Rockcastle CountyBest mid January · 11 checklists that week, 598 in all22%
  4. Clark CountyBest mid January · 22 checklists that week, 844 in all17%
  5. Wayne CountyBest mid January · 12 checklists that week, 942 in all15%
  6. Ohio CountyBest early March · 13 checklists that week, 440 in all14%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Blooms Eddy (historical)Jefferson County, best early February · 29 checklists that week, 967 in all79%
  2. Lake HickmanFayette County, best late January · 125 checklists that week, 1,926 in all41%
  3. Lake Reba Recreation ComplexMadison County, best the second week of January · 21 checklists that week, 434 in all28%
  4. Basil W Griffin, Jr ParkWarren County, best the second week of February · 29 checklists that week, 661 in all27%

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

Best time of day

In Kentucky, the Canvasback is most often listed on checklists started between 2 and 4 pm (1.1% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%12 am: too few checklists (140) to judge1 am: too few checklists (120) to judge2 am: too few checklists (88) to judge3 am: too few checklists (95) to judge4 am: too few checklists (151) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1289) to judge6 am: 0.2% of 8227 checklists7 am: 0.2% of 24608 checklists8 am: 0.3% of 36577 checklists9 am: 0.5% of 34626 checklists10 am: 0.8% of 28796 checklists11 am: 0.9% of 22781 checklists12 pm: 1.0% of 19848 checklists1 pm: 0.9% of 19369 checklists2 pm: 1.1% of 19367 checklists3 pm: 1.1% of 19618 checklists4 pm: 0.8% of 19464 checklists5 pm: 0.4% of 16639 checklists6 pm: 0.1% of 12714 checklists7 pm: 0.1% of 8457 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (3447) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (684) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (267) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (158) 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
January1.9%2.2%3.2%3.7%
February3.5%1.9%1.7%3.0%
March1.5%1.0%0.8%0.5%
April0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
May0%0%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0%0%
October0%0%0.1%0.1%
November0.1%0.2%0.2%0.3%
December1.4%1.5%0.8%1.2%

Neighboring states

  • Tennessee: arrives mid November, 2 weeks earlier than Kentucky
  • Indiana: arrives the second week of November, 3 weeks earlier than Kentucky
  • Ohio: arrives late November, 1 week earlier than Kentucky
  • Illinois: arrives early November, 4 weeks earlier than Kentucky

Common questions

When do Canvasbacks arrive in Kentucky?
Canvasbacks are winter birds in Kentucky: they arrive in early December, peak in late January (3.5% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.
When do Canvasbacks leave Kentucky?
Most Canvasbacks have left Kentucky by the second week of March, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Canvasback in Kentucky?
The Canvasback is reported most often in late January, on about 3.5% of Kentucky checklists.
Where in Kentucky are Canvasbacks seen most often?
By county, Marion County, Union County, and Rockcastle County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Canvasback (counties with at least 200 checklists).