WhenToBird

Histrionicus histrionicus · Anatidae

When Do Harlequin Ducks Arrive in Oregon?

Adult male Harlequin Duck
Photo: Dmitry Kulakov, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Harlequin Duck is in Oregon all year. It turns up on about 1.1% of checklists at its peak (the second week of November) and on 0.5% in its quietest week (early June).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekNov 8-14the second week of November
Quietest weekJun 1-7early June

Best: the second week of November. Here all year. Peak: on about 1.1% of Oregon checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%Jan 1-7: 0.8% of 34973 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.9% of 26807 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.0% of 26567 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.9% of 36019 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.0% of 24020 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.8% of 25765 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.7% of 31019 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.7% of 24582 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.9% of 24834 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.0% of 24642 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.1% of 27420 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.9% of 39913 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.8% of 28817 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.8% of 31221 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.6% of 34402 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.7% of 47144 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.8% of 37716 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.5% of 39651 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.5% of 37496 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.5% of 56967 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.4% of 35893 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.5% of 31880 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.7% of 30942 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.7% of 38478 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.6% of 27409 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.8% of 25161 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.8% of 25473 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.8% of 33920 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.7% of 24310 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.8% of 23675 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.7% of 23623 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.7% of 33762 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.6% of 25120 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.7% of 24458 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.6% of 25528 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.7% of 31631 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.7% of 25498 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.1% of 25161 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.7% of 23701 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.1% of 30996 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.1% of 21089 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.2% of 21880 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.2% of 21501 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.0% of 28930 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.7% of 19807 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.8% of 21022 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.5% of 24817 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.9% of 37592 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 Oregon 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 Oregon

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lincoln CountyBest the second week of March · 1094 checklists that week, 66,994 in all15%
  2. Clatsop CountyBest late June · 1269 checklists that week, 44,300 in all13%
  3. Coos CountyBest early October · 490 checklists that week, 24,368 in all7.4%
  4. Hood River CountyBest early May · 168 checklists that week, 9,695 in all3.5%
  5. Tillamook CountyBest the second week of February · 772 checklists that week, 45,809 in all3.4%
  6. Morrow CountyBest the second week of March · 60 checklists that week, 3,484 in all1.3%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. South Beach State ParkLincoln County, best the second week of March · 111 checklists that week, 3,413 in all84%
  2. Oregon Islands National Wildlife RefugeClatsop County, best early March · 21 checklists that week, 3,521 in all75%
  3. Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge Wilderness AreaLincoln County, best the second week of December · 40 checklists that week, 748 in all75%
  4. Crab RockTillamook County, best late January · 39 checklists that week, 669 in all73%
  5. Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area (Starfish Cove)Lincoln County, best early October · 20 checklists that week, 1,296 in all67%
  6. Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural AreaLincoln County, best mid September · 36 checklists that week, 1,731 in all66%

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

Best time of day

In Oregon, the Harlequin Duck is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (1.1% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%12 am: too few checklists (1505) to judge1 am: too few checklists (675) to judge2 am: too few checklists (626) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1641) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3696) to judge5 am: too few checklists (14524) to judge6 am: 0.4% of 50677 checklists7 am: 0.5% of 125347 checklists8 am: 0.7% of 163668 checklists9 am: 0.8% of 160351 checklists10 am: 1.0% of 148940 checklists11 am: 1.1% of 124743 checklists12 pm: 1.0% of 112537 checklists1 pm: 1.0% of 98999 checklists2 pm: 0.9% of 94690 checklists3 pm: 0.8% of 87923 checklists4 pm: 0.6% of 75235 checklists5 pm: 0.4% of 54504 checklists6 pm: 0.3% of 40469 checklists7 pm: 0.2% of 33675 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (18715) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5839) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2704) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1549) 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
January0.8%0.9%1.0%0.9%
February1.0%0.8%0.7%0.7%
March0.9%1.0%1.1%0.9%
April0.8%0.8%0.6%0.7%
May0.8%0.5%0.5%0.5%
June0.4%0.5%0.7%0.7%
July0.6%0.8%0.8%0.8%
August0.7%0.8%0.7%0.7%
September0.6%0.7%0.6%0.7%
October0.7%1.1%0.7%1.1%
November1.1%1.2%1.2%1.0%
December0.7%0.8%0.5%0.9%

Neighboring states

  • Washington: winter visitor, peaks early November
  • Wyoming: summer visitor, peaks early June
  • Alaska: all year, most in winter, peaks late November
  • Delaware: winter visitor, peaks mid January

Common questions

When do Harlequin Ducks arrive in Oregon?
The Harlequin Duck is in Oregon all year. It turns up on about 1.1% of checklists at its peak (the second week of November) and on 0.5% in its quietest week (early June).
When do Harlequin Ducks leave Oregon?
The Harlequin Duck does not leave Oregon: it is reported all year, from 0.5% of checklists in early June to 1.1% in the second week of November.
When is the best time to see a Harlequin Duck in Oregon?
The Harlequin Duck is reported most often in the second week of November, on about 1.1% of Oregon checklists.
Where in Oregon are Harlequin Ducks seen most often?
By county, Lincoln County, Clatsop County, and Coos County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Harlequin Duck (counties with at least 200 checklists).