WhenToBird

Clangula hyemalis · Anatidae

When Do Long-tailed Ducks Arrive in Kansas?

Adult male Long-tailed Duck
Photo: Diego González Dopico, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Long-tailed Ducks are winter birds in Kansas: they arrive in mid November, peak in early January (1.1% of checklists), and most are gone by early April.

When to look

First arrivalsNov 15-21mid November
Common byNov 15-21mid November
PeakJan 1-7early January
Most gone byApr 1-7early April

Best: early January. First arrivals mid November; most are gone by early April. Peak: on about 1.1% of Kansas 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. Octnot usually seen
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%Jan 1-7: 1.4% of 8683 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.0% of 5710 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.6% of 5453 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.4% of 7868 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.5% of 5579 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.5% of 6307 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.3% of 7830 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.5% of 6124 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.4% of 6442 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.0% of 6925 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.5% of 7257 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.6% of 11527 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.3% of 8908 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 11070 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 11050 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 16381 checklistsMay 1-7: 0% of 15899 checklistsMay 8-14: 0% of 15349 checklistsMay 15-21: 0% of 10474 checklistsMay 22-31: 0% of 11264 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 6783 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 5654 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 4716 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 6232 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 5073 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 4528 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 4210 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 5986 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 4661 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 4762 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 4823 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 7214 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 5989 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 5549 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 5255 checklistsSep 22-30: 0% of 7370 checklistsOct 1-7: 0% of 5829 checklistsOct 8-14: 0% of 6183 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 5504 checklistsOct 22-31: 0% of 7289 checklistsNov 1-7: 0% of 5535 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 5462 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.6% of 4929 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.9% of 6627 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.2% of 4670 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.8% of 4805 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.8% of 6341 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.8% of 8186 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 Kansas 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Kansas

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Jefferson CountyBest early December · 130 checklists that week, 6,538 in all12%
  2. Brown CountyBest late November · 51 checklists that week, 2,536 in all10%
  3. Labette CountyBest late February · 20 checklists that week, 1,249 in all10%
  4. Russell CountyBest late January · 119 checklists that week, 5,277 in all8.7%
  5. Geary CountyBest early March · 16 checklists that week, 1,557 in all8.6%
  6. Osage CountyBest early January · 207 checklists that week, 3,723 in all8.4%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Clinton Recreation Area (west)Douglas County, best late March · 77 checklists that week, 1,427 in all53%
  2. Clinton Recreation Area (Coon Creek)Douglas County, best late December · 25 checklists that week, 348 in all50%
  3. Perry Recreation AreaJefferson County, best early December · 37 checklists that week, 830 in all36%
  4. Perry LakeJefferson County, best early April · 26 checklists that week, 560 in all34%
  5. Lake ShawneeShawnee County, best early March · 29 checklists that week, 1,134 in all28%

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

Best time of day

In Kansas, the Long-tailed Duck is most often listed on checklists started between 11 am and 1 pm (0.4% of those checklists).

0%0.5%12 am: too few checklists (150) to judge1 am: too few checklists (119) to judge2 am: too few checklists (97) to judge3 am: too few checklists (94) to judge4 am: too few checklists (124) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1459) to judge6 am: 0.1% of 12550 checklists7 am: 0.1% of 34128 checklists8 am: 0.3% of 45960 checklists9 am: 0.4% of 37806 checklists10 am: 0.3% of 32102 checklists11 am: 0.5% of 25896 checklists12 pm: 0.4% of 24203 checklists1 pm: 0.4% of 20269 checklists2 pm: 0.3% of 20772 checklists3 pm: 0.3% of 20978 checklists4 pm: 0.3% of 22094 checklists5 pm: 0.1% of 17739 checklists6 pm: 0.1% of 13963 checklists7 pm: 0% of 10110 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (4188) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (968) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (325) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (171) 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
January1.4%1.0%0.6%0.4%
February0.5%0.5%0.3%0.5%
March0.4%1.0%0.5%0.6%
April0.3%0.1%0.1%0.1%
May0%0%0%0%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0%0%
October0%0%0.1%0%
November0%0.1%0.6%0.9%
December1.2%0.8%0.8%0.8%

Neighboring states

  • Nebraska: arrives late October, 3 weeks earlier than Kansas
  • Iowa: arrives mid November, in the same week than Kansas
  • South Dakota: arrives mid November, in the same week than Kansas
  • Illinois: arrives early November, 2 weeks earlier than Kansas

Common questions

When do Long-tailed Ducks arrive in Kansas?
Long-tailed Ducks are winter birds in Kansas: they arrive in mid November, peak in early January (1.1% of checklists), and most are gone by early April.
When do Long-tailed Ducks leave Kansas?
Most Long-tailed Ducks have left Kansas by early April, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Long-tailed Duck in Kansas?
The Long-tailed Duck is reported most often in early January, on about 1.1% of Kansas checklists.
Where in Kansas are Long-tailed Ducks seen most often?
By county, Jefferson County, Brown County, and Labette County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Long-tailed Duck (counties with at least 200 checklists).