WhenToBird

Clangula hyemalis · Anatidae

When Do Long-tailed Ducks Arrive in New York?

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

Long-tailed Ducks are winter birds in New York: the first arrive in late October, they are common by the second week of November, peak in mid January (7.6% of checklists), and most are gone by early April.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 22-31late October
Common byNov 8-14the second week of November
PeakJan 15-21mid January
Most gone byApr 1-7early April

Best: mid January. First arrivals late October; most are gone by early April. Peak: on about 7.6% of New York checklists.

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

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 6.8% of 66410 checklistsJan 8-14: 7.6% of 49310 checklistsJan 15-21: 7.8% of 49919 checklistsJan 22-31: 7.6% of 62513 checklistsFeb 1-7: 7.0% of 43526 checklistsFeb 8-14: 6.0% of 49753 checklistsFeb 15-21: 4.7% of 65147 checklistsFeb 22-28: 5.6% of 50173 checklistsMar 1-7: 4.6% of 50325 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.8% of 55371 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.3% of 56293 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.4% of 82677 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.7% of 65295 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.1% of 73080 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.5% of 73857 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.0% of 106093 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.6% of 102772 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.5% of 110051 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.5% of 94797 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.3% of 101272 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.2% of 59471 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 55497 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 51761 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 59219 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 48226 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 42315 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 40637 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 57183 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 40461 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 39880 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 41146 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 63381 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 48640 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 47882 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 49063 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 57906 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 48447 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.2% of 51901 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.5% of 46717 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.2% of 61992 checklistsNov 1-7: 2.6% of 44593 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.4% of 42566 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.8% of 39675 checklistsNov 22-30: 5.1% of 51197 checklistsDec 1-7: 5.3% of 36567 checklistsDec 8-14: 4.8% of 37254 checklistsDec 15-21: 5.6% of 43754 checklistsDec 22-31: 7.7% of 62470 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 New York 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 New York

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Wayne CountyBest early February · 614 checklists that week, 37,738 in all25%
  2. Niagara CountyBest early March · 527 checklists that week, 28,936 in all24%
  3. Nassau CountyBest late January · 2497 checklists that week, 95,019 in all24%
  4. Suffolk CountyBest mid December · 4187 checklists that week, 208,865 in all23%
  5. Oswego CountyBest early February · 654 checklists that week, 39,208 in all21%
  6. Orleans CountyBest mid January · 324 checklists that week, 16,706 in all18%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Cranberry PondMonroe County, best late January · 39 checklists that week, 434 in all100%
  2. Round Pond (Rigney Bluff)Monroe County, best late January · 48 checklists that week, 273 in all99%
  3. Suffolk County Land (Orient Point)Suffolk County, best mid January · 26 checklists that week, 898 in all99%
  4. Oak Orchard Marine ParkOrleans County, best the second week of February · 22 checklists that week, 700 in all98%

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

Best time of day

In New York, the Long-tailed Duck is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (3.3% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%12 am: too few checklists (1146) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1055) to judge2 am: too few checklists (1121) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1353) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4785) to judge5 am: too few checklists (32052) to judge6 am: 1.1% of 124869 checklists7 am: 1.7% of 298506 checklists8 am: 2.0% of 337334 checklists9 am: 2.5% of 307787 checklists10 am: 3.0% of 270801 checklists11 am: 3.3% of 233238 checklists12 pm: 3.2% of 213830 checklists1 pm: 3.4% of 193321 checklists2 pm: 3.2% of 180741 checklists3 pm: 2.7% of 170348 checklists4 pm: 1.7% of 147224 checklists5 pm: 0.8% of 111962 checklists6 pm: 0.5% of 78261 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (44425) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (15648) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4795) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2454) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1378) 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
January6.8%7.6%7.8%7.6%
February7.0%6.0%4.7%5.6%
March4.6%3.8%3.3%3.4%
April2.7%2.1%1.5%1.0%
May0.6%0.5%0.5%0.3%
June0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
October0.1%0.2%0.5%1.2%
November2.6%3.4%3.8%5.1%
December5.3%4.8%5.6%7.7%

Neighboring states

  • Connecticut: arrives early November, 1 week later than New York
  • New Jersey: arrives the second week of November, 2 weeks later than New York
  • Pennsylvania: arrives early November, 1 week later than New York
  • Vermont: arrives mid October, 1 week earlier than New York

Common questions

When do Long-tailed Ducks arrive in New York?
Long-tailed Ducks are winter birds in New York: the first arrive in late October, they are common by the second week of November, peak in mid January (7.6% of checklists), and most are gone by early April.
When do Long-tailed Ducks leave New York?
Most Long-tailed Ducks have left New York by early April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid April.
When is the best time to see a Long-tailed Duck in New York?
The Long-tailed Duck is reported most often in mid January, on about 7.6% of New York checklists.
Where in New York are Long-tailed Ducks seen most often?
By county, Wayne County, Niagara County, and Nassau County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Long-tailed Duck (counties with at least 200 checklists).