WhenToBird

Spatula cyanoptera · Anatidae

When Do Cinnamon Teals Arrive in California?

Adult male Cinnamon Teal
Photo: Peter Chen 2.0, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Cinnamon Teals are in California all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from the second week of January, peak in early March (7.6% of checklists), and fall back by mid April. In the quietest week (the second week of July) they are still on about 2.2% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildJan 8-14the second week of January
PeakMar 1-7early March
Fall back byApr 15-21mid April
FewestJul 8-14the second week of July

Best: early March. Here all year; numbers build from the second week of January and fall back by mid April. Peak: on about 7.6% of California checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 4.9% of 112336 checklistsJan 8-14: 4.9% of 85518 checklistsJan 15-21: 5.4% of 86488 checklistsJan 22-31: 5.6% of 116174 checklistsFeb 1-7: 6.1% of 75171 checklistsFeb 8-14: 6.0% of 84467 checklistsFeb 15-21: 6.0% of 105683 checklistsFeb 22-28: 7.5% of 83396 checklistsMar 1-7: 7.8% of 77470 checklistsMar 8-14: 7.5% of 75180 checklistsMar 15-21: 7.2% of 80770 checklistsMar 22-31: 6.9% of 114116 checklistsApr 1-7: 6.5% of 84057 checklistsApr 8-14: 6.0% of 83692 checklistsApr 15-21: 5.4% of 89242 checklistsApr 22-30: 4.4% of 114289 checklistsMay 1-7: 3.9% of 85728 checklistsMay 8-14: 3.1% of 91984 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.8% of 75478 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.7% of 106250 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.6% of 70051 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.5% of 67485 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.4% of 66269 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.3% of 79172 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.2% of 62877 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.1% of 60328 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.2% of 59705 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.4% of 83796 checklistsAug 1-7: 2.5% of 60215 checklistsAug 8-14: 2.7% of 60172 checklistsAug 15-21: 3.2% of 59877 checklistsAug 22-31: 3.5% of 89107 checklistsSep 1-7: 3.9% of 72000 checklistsSep 8-14: 3.6% of 71228 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.4% of 76808 checklistsSep 22-30: 3.3% of 100204 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.2% of 76571 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.5% of 80874 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.4% of 74581 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.7% of 97498 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.8% of 70851 checklistsNov 8-14: 4.0% of 72431 checklistsNov 15-21: 4.1% of 66767 checklistsNov 22-30: 4.4% of 94737 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.5% of 65393 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.9% of 67449 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.3% of 83421 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.9% of 124993 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 California 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 California

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Colusa CountyBest the second week of April · 143 checklists that week, 7,653 in all31%
  2. Modoc CountyBest mid April · 63 checklists that week, 6,138 in all30%
  3. Lassen CountyBest mid April · 254 checklists that week, 8,378 in all28%
  4. Imperial CountyBest late March · 833 checklists that week, 24,551 in all28%
  5. Merced CountyBest early March · 366 checklists that week, 13,095 in all27%
  6. Glenn CountyBest mid March · 52 checklists that week, 5,189 in all27%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Port Watsonville (historical)Santa Cruz County, best early March · 20 checklists that week, 1,423 in all98%
  2. Ron Foell ParkOrange County, best early December · 20 checklists that week, 375 in all97%
  3. San Diego Creek & Bike PathOrange County, best late November · 48 checklists that week, 499 in all95%

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

Best time of day

In California, the Cinnamon Teal is most often listed on checklists started between 8 and 10 am (4.6% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (1688) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1451) to judge2 am: too few checklists (1402) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1743) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4647) to judge5 am: too few checklists (32158) to judge6 am: 4.0% of 186053 checklists7 am: 4.5% of 444086 checklists8 am: 4.7% of 535846 checklists9 am: 4.5% of 486061 checklists10 am: 4.4% of 411130 checklists11 am: 4.3% of 325798 checklists12 pm: 4.2% of 269132 checklists1 pm: 4.5% of 244762 checklists2 pm: 4.7% of 235420 checklists3 pm: 4.5% of 232365 checklists4 pm: 4.0% of 208688 checklists5 pm: 3.7% of 146104 checklists6 pm: 3.1% of 96867 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (50942) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (14803) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5561) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (3546) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (2092) 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
January4.9%4.9%5.4%5.6%
February6.1%6.0%6.0%7.5%
March7.8%7.5%7.2%6.9%
April6.5%6.0%5.4%4.4%
May3.9%3.1%2.8%2.7%
June2.6%2.5%2.4%2.3%
July2.2%2.1%2.2%2.4%
August2.5%2.7%3.2%3.5%
September3.9%3.6%3.4%3.3%
October3.2%3.5%3.4%3.7%
November3.8%4.0%4.1%4.4%
December4.5%3.9%3.3%3.9%

Neighboring states

  • Nevada: arrives early March, 7 weeks later than California
  • Utah: arrives early January, 1 week earlier than California
  • Arizona: arrives late July, 22 weeks earlier than California
  • Oregon: arrives early January, 1 week earlier than California

Common questions

When do Cinnamon Teals arrive in California?
Cinnamon Teals are in California all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from the second week of January, peak in early March (7.6% of checklists), and fall back by mid April. In the quietest week (the second week of July) they are still on about 2.2% of checklists.
When do Cinnamon Teals leave California?
Cinnamon Teals never fully leave California: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by mid April, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.2% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Cinnamon Teal in California?
The Cinnamon Teal is reported most often in early March, on about 7.6% of California checklists.
Where in California are Cinnamon Teals seen most often?
By county, Colusa County, Modoc County, and Lassen County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Cinnamon Teal (counties with at least 200 checklists).