WhenToBird

Clangula hyemalis · Anatidae

When Do Long-tailed Ducks Arrive in Pennsylvania?

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

Long-tailed Ducks are winter birds in Pennsylvania: they arrive in early November, peak in late March (1.2% of checklists), and most are gone by mid April.

When to look

First arrivalsNov 1-7early November
Common byNov 1-7early November
PeakMar 22-31late March
Most gone byApr 15-21mid April

Best: late March. First arrivals early November; most are gone by mid April. Peak: on about 1.2% of Pennsylvania checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octrare
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%Jan 1-7: 0.5% of 47145 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.3% of 35840 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.4% of 35423 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.3% of 49126 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.4% of 36366 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.2% of 42248 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.3% of 55888 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.5% of 42050 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.6% of 42709 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.6% of 43985 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.0% of 44547 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.3% of 66940 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.3% of 51147 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.6% of 54868 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.3% of 57252 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 81727 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 76472 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 79341 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 61724 checklistsMay 22-31: 0% of 70722 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 45652 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 41810 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 38973 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 44255 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 34822 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 31104 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 29262 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 41436 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 29189 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 28840 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 29948 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 48235 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 37175 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 36527 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 37261 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 43583 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 35352 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 35560 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 33119 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.2% of 44654 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.2% of 32965 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.4% of 31305 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.4% of 29471 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.6% of 38642 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.5% of 28779 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.4% of 29486 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.4% of 37465 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.3% of 50651 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Erie CountyBest early December · 720 checklists that week, 49,012 in all8.1%
  2. Venango CountyBest late March · 65 checklists that week, 2,831 in all7.2%
  3. Montour CountyBest early April · 162 checklists that week, 6,082 in all6.8%
  4. Clearfield CountyBest late March · 352 checklists that week, 9,768 in all6.4%
  5. Cameron CountyBest late March · 121 checklists that week, 5,057 in all4.9%
  6. Lycoming CountyBest late March · 871 checklists that week, 29,685 in all4.8%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Ridge PondErie County, best the second week of December · 56 checklists that week, 1,112 in all53%
  2. Palmyra Township BeachPike County, best early January · 28 checklists that week, 811 in all49%
  3. Morrisville Dog ParkBucks County, best the second week of January · 24 checklists that week, 250 in all43%
  4. Kahle LakeClarion County, best early April · 21 checklists that week, 273 in all36%
  5. ClydeNorthampton County, best late March · 47 checklists that week, 536 in all33%
  6. Thompson BayErie County, best late November · 25 checklists that week, 714 in all33%

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

Best time of day

In Pennsylvania, the Long-tailed Duck is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (0.4% of those checklists).

0%0.5%12 am: too few checklists (1558) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1136) to judge2 am: too few checklists (839) to judge3 am: too few checklists (842) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2550) to judge5 am: too few checklists (18294) to judge6 am: 0.1% of 92903 checklists7 am: 0.3% of 241233 checklists8 am: 0.2% of 271994 checklists9 am: 0.2% of 236842 checklists10 am: 0.3% of 199508 checklists11 am: 0.3% of 161893 checklists12 pm: 0.3% of 143945 checklists1 pm: 0.4% of 134352 checklists2 pm: 0.3% of 129692 checklists3 pm: 0.4% of 126132 checklists4 pm: 0.3% of 115055 checklists5 pm: 0.3% of 90719 checklists6 pm: 0.2% of 67534 checklists7 pm: 0.1% of 43004 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (13966) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (3913) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1989) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1146) 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
January0.5%0.3%0.4%0.3%
February0.4%0.2%0.3%0.5%
March0.6%0.6%1.0%1.3%
April1.3%0.6%0.3%0.1%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0%
June0%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0%0.1%0%
August0%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0%0.1%0.1%
October0.1%0.1%0.1%0.2%
November0.2%0.4%0.4%0.6%
December0.5%0.4%0.4%0.3%

Neighboring states

  • Maryland: arrives mid November, 2 weeks later than Pennsylvania
  • Delaware: arrives late November, 3 weeks later than Pennsylvania
  • New Jersey: arrives the second week of November, 1 week later than Pennsylvania
  • New York: arrives late October, 1 week earlier than Pennsylvania

Common questions

When do Long-tailed Ducks arrive in Pennsylvania?
Long-tailed Ducks are winter birds in Pennsylvania: they arrive in early November, peak in late March (1.2% of checklists), and most are gone by mid April.
When do Long-tailed Ducks leave Pennsylvania?
Most Long-tailed Ducks have left Pennsylvania by mid April, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Long-tailed Duck in Pennsylvania?
The Long-tailed Duck is reported most often in late March, on about 1.2% of Pennsylvania checklists.
Where in Pennsylvania are Long-tailed Ducks seen most often?
By county, Erie County, Venango County, and Montour County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Long-tailed Duck (counties with at least 200 checklists).