WhenToBird

Lophodytes cucullatus · Anatidae

When Do Hooded Mergansers Arrive in Utah?

Adult male Hooded Merganser
Photo: Justin Flint, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Hooded Mergansers are winter birds in Utah: the first arrive in late October, they are common by early November, peak in late November (5.2% of checklists), and most are gone by late March.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 22-31late October
Common byNov 1-7early November
PeakNov 22-30late November
Most gone byMar 22-31late March

Best: late November. First arrivals late October; most are gone by late March. Peak: on about 5.2% of Utah checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 4.4% of 10857 checklistsJan 8-14: 4.6% of 8333 checklistsJan 15-21: 4.7% of 8360 checklistsJan 22-31: 4.5% of 10516 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.6% of 7416 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.2% of 8082 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.1% of 9643 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.4% of 7960 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.5% of 7998 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.6% of 8581 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.3% of 8637 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.4% of 13006 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.9% of 10562 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.9% of 11694 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.7% of 11382 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.3% of 16626 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 13523 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 14714 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 13711 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 16546 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 10284 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 9530 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 8854 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 10566 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 7987 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 7471 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 7240 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 9329 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 6521 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 6423 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 6208 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 9089 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 7081 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 7306 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 7208 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 8876 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 7265 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.2% of 7226 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.3% of 7007 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.0% of 8443 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.1% of 6711 checklistsNov 8-14: 4.5% of 6290 checklistsNov 15-21: 5.8% of 6169 checklistsNov 22-30: 5.3% of 8228 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.5% of 6011 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.3% of 6044 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.3% of 6721 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.2% of 9982 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 Utah 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 Utah

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Daggett CountyBest the second week of December · 10 checklists that week, 1,885 in all26%
  2. San Juan CountyBest late November · 70 checklists that week, 6,877 in all24%
  3. Kane CountyBest late January · 49 checklists that week, 6,105 in all17%
  4. Washington CountyBest mid January · 858 checklists that week, 43,893 in all14%
  5. Salt Lake CountyBest mid November · 1576 checklists that week, 104,432 in all8.4%
  6. Tooele CountyBest mid December · 57 checklists that week, 4,788 in all8.2%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Harrisburg CanyonWashington County, best late November · 29 checklists that week, 676 in all89%
  2. Kens LakeSan Juan County, best late November · 20 checklists that week, 497 in all88%
  3. Lee Kay State Wildlife CenterSalt Lake County, best the second week of November · 94 checklists that week, 3,804 in all86%
  4. Ivins ReservoirWashington County, best late December · 37 checklists that week, 1,043 in all67%
  5. Spencer Number Two Reservoir (historical)Kane County, best late December · 20 checklists that week, 605 in all64%
  6. Quail Creek State ParkWashington County, best mid January · 29 checklists that week, 904 in all57%

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

Best time of day

In Utah, the Hooded Merganser is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (2.4% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%12 am: too few checklists (242) to judge1 am: too few checklists (178) to judge2 am: too few checklists (169) to judge3 am: too few checklists (162) to judge4 am: too few checklists (284) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1984) to judge6 am: 0.2% of 11714 checklists7 am: 0.9% of 33209 checklists8 am: 1.5% of 46944 checklists9 am: 1.7% of 46290 checklists10 am: 1.9% of 43144 checklists11 am: 1.9% of 36893 checklists12 pm: 2.1% of 32758 checklists1 pm: 2.4% of 30142 checklists2 pm: 2.4% of 29414 checklists3 pm: 2.3% of 29491 checklists4 pm: 1.9% of 29154 checklists5 pm: 1.1% of 22256 checklists6 pm: 0.4% of 17383 checklists7 pm: 0.2% of 13099 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (6647) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1753) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (599) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (307) 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
January4.4%4.6%4.7%4.5%
February3.6%3.2%3.1%3.4%
March3.5%3.6%3.3%2.4%
April1.9%0.9%0.7%0.3%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0%
August0%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
October0.1%0.2%0.3%1.0%
November3.1%4.5%5.8%5.3%
December4.5%3.3%3.3%4.2%

Neighboring states

  • Wyoming: arrives mid October, 1 week earlier than Utah
  • Nevada: arrives late October, in the same week than Utah
  • Colorado: arrives the second week of October, 2 weeks earlier than Utah
  • Idaho: arrives the second week of October, 2 weeks earlier than Utah

Common questions

When do Hooded Mergansers arrive in Utah?
Hooded Mergansers are winter birds in Utah: the first arrive in late October, they are common by early November, peak in late November (5.2% of checklists), and most are gone by late March.
When do Hooded Mergansers leave Utah?
Most Hooded Mergansers have left Utah by late March, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of April.
When is the best time to see a Hooded Merganser in Utah?
The Hooded Merganser is reported most often in late November, on about 5.2% of Utah checklists.
Where in Utah are Hooded Mergansers seen most often?
By county, Daggett County, San Juan County, and Kane County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Hooded Merganser (counties with at least 200 checklists).