WhenToBird

Clangula hyemalis · Anatidae

When Do Long-tailed Ducks Arrive in Montana?

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

Long-tailed Ducks mostly pass through Montana: they arrive in early November, peak in mid November (1.1% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of December.

When to look

First arrivalsNov 1-7early November
Common byNov 1-7early November
PeakNov 15-21mid November
Most gone byDec 8-14the second week of December

Best: mid November. First arrivals early November; most are gone by the second week of December. Peak: on about 1.1% of Montana checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febrare
  3. Marrare
  4. Aprrare
  5. Mayrare
  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%0.5%1%1.5%Jan 1-7: 0.2% of 7987 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.3% of 5561 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 5613 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 7881 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 5018 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.2% of 5598 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.2% of 7247 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 5531 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.1% of 6110 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 6623 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.2% of 7687 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 11095 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% of 7774 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 8785 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 9684 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 13805 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 11847 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 13547 checklistsMay 15-21: 0% of 13019 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 20456 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 12993 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 11594 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 11159 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 13786 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 9584 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 9078 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 7905 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 10906 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 7335 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 6868 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 6866 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 10076 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 7670 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 7490 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 6804 checklistsSep 22-30: 0% of 8016 checklistsOct 1-7: 0% of 5996 checklistsOct 8-14: 0% of 6156 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 5742 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 7790 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.0% of 5353 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.0% of 5475 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.0% of 4603 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.4% of 6067 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.7% of 4362 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.7% of 4467 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.3% of 5328 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% of 6672 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 Montana 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 Montana

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. McCone CountyBest mid November · 16 checklists that week, 537 in all14%
  2. Deer Lodge CountyBest the second week of November · 172 checklists that week, 8,732 in all4.3%
  3. Missoula CountyBest mid November · 919 checklists that week, 64,368 in all3.3%
  4. Cascade CountyBest the second week of December · 237 checklists that week, 16,190 in all2.5%
  5. Lewis and Clark CountyBest early December · 412 checklists that week, 28,806 in all2.1%
  6. Glacier CountyBest the second week of November · 40 checklists that week, 9,238 in all1.9%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hyalite ReservoirGallatin County, best late November · 30 checklists that week, 403 in all42%
  2. Upper Holter LakeLewis and Clark County, best late November · 20 checklists that week, 332 in all21%
  3. Silver LakeDeer Lodge County, best early November · 20 checklists that week, 166 in all20%
  4. Giant Springs State ParkCascade County, best mid February · 24 checklists that week, 1,249 in all17%

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

Best time of day

In Montana, the Long-tailed Duck is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (0.2% of those checklists).

0%0.5%12 am: too few checklists (183) to judge1 am: too few checklists (169) to judge2 am: too few checklists (163) to judge3 am: too few checklists (212) to judge4 am: too few checklists (503) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4022) to judge6 am: 0.1% of 12719 checklists7 am: 0.1% of 31202 checklists8 am: 0.1% of 47646 checklists9 am: 0.1% of 44624 checklists10 am: 0.1% of 40704 checklists11 am: 0.2% of 33825 checklists12 pm: 0.1% of 29407 checklists1 pm: 0.2% of 27959 checklists2 pm: 0.2% of 26928 checklists3 pm: 0.2% of 25313 checklists4 pm: 0.1% of 22151 checklists5 pm: 0.1% of 16884 checklists6 pm: 0.1% of 13780 checklists7 pm: 0.1% of 9926 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (5765) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2099) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (595) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (230) 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
January0.2%0.3%0.1%0.1%
February0.1%0.2%0.2%0%
March0.1%0.1%0.2%0.1%
April0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
May0.1%0.1%0%0.1%
June0%0%0%0.1%
July0%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0%0%0.1%0%
September0%0.1%0%0%
October0%0%0.1%0.1%
November1.0%1.0%1.0%1.4%
December0.7%0.7%0.3%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • Wyoming: arrives early November, in the same week than Montana
  • Washington: arrives late October, 1 week earlier than Montana
  • Colorado: arrives the second week of November, 1 week later than Montana
  • North Dakota: arrives early November, in the same week than Montana

Common questions

When do Long-tailed Ducks arrive in Montana?
Long-tailed Ducks mostly pass through Montana: they arrive in early November, peak in mid November (1.1% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of December.
When do Long-tailed Ducks leave Montana?
Most Long-tailed Ducks have left Montana by the second week of December, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Long-tailed Duck in Montana?
The Long-tailed Duck is reported most often in mid November, on about 1.1% of Montana checklists.
Where in Montana are Long-tailed Ducks seen most often?
By county, McCone County, Deer Lodge County, and Missoula County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Long-tailed Duck (counties with at least 200 checklists).