WhenToBird

Clangula hyemalis · Anatidae

When Do Long-tailed Ducks Arrive in Wyoming?

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

Long-tailed Ducks mostly pass through Wyoming: they arrive in early November, peak in mid November (1.0% of checklists), and most are gone by early December.

When to look

First arrivalsNov 1-7early November
Common byNov 1-7early November
PeakNov 15-21mid November
Most gone byDec 1-7early December

Best: mid November. First arrivals early November; most are gone by early December. Peak: on about 1.0% of Wyoming checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprnot usually seen
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octrare
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%Jan 1-7: 0% of 2543 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 2114 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 1984 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 2605 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 1940 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 1954 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 2575 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 1932 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 2486 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 2535 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 2726 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 4349 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 3300 checklistsApr 8-14: 0% of 3500 checklistsApr 15-21: 0% of 3701 checklistsApr 22-30: 0% of 5887 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 5341 checklistsMay 8-14: 0% of 6910 checklistsMay 15-21: 0% of 6884 checklistsMay 22-31: 0% of 10652 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 6807 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 6714 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 6708 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 8160 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 5755 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 5379 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 5299 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 6830 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 4581 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 4625 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 4466 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 6562 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 4543 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 4652 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 4186 checklistsSep 22-30: 0% of 5301 checklistsOct 1-7: 0% of 3248 checklistsOct 8-14: 0% of 3010 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 2624 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 3170 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 2110 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.4% of 2153 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.9% of 1971 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.7% of 2136 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 1646 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 1609 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 1954 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% of 2392 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 Wyoming 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 Wyoming

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Sweetwater CountyBest early November · 23 checklists that week, 5,064 in all2.9%
  2. Albany CountyBest mid November · 343 checklists that week, 21,857 in all2.6%
  3. Fremont CountyBest mid November · 364 checklists that week, 27,707 in all2.3%
  4. Natrona CountyBest late November · 84 checklists that week, 5,810 in all2.0%
  5. Sublette CountyBest the second week of February · 42 checklists that week, 6,738 in all1.3%
  6. Teton CountyBest mid December · 182 checklists that week, 34,686 in all0.8%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Twin Buttes LakeAlbany County, best mid November · 28 checklists that week, 405 in all30%
  2. Dry LakeFremont County, best the second week of November · 22 checklists that week, 276 in all20%

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

Best time of day

In Wyoming, the Long-tailed Duck is most often listed on checklists started between 11 am and 1 pm (0.1% of those checklists).

0%0.5%12 am: too few checklists (59) to judge1 am: too few checklists (76) to judge2 am: too few checklists (86) to judge3 am: too few checklists (79) to judge4 am: too few checklists (326) to judge5 am: too few checklists (2271) to judge6 am: 0.1% of 8808 checklists7 am: 0.1% of 18458 checklists8 am: 0.1% of 22143 checklists9 am: 0.1% of 21499 checklists10 am: 0.1% of 19425 checklists11 am: 0.1% of 16017 checklists12 pm: 0.1% of 13868 checklists1 pm: 0.1% of 12984 checklists2 pm: 0.1% of 12605 checklists3 pm: 0.1% of 11821 checklists4 pm: 0.1% of 10571 checklists5 pm: 0.1% of 8746 checklists6 pm: 0% of 6707 checklists7 pm: 0% of 4890 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2323) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (554) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (134) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (59) 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%0%0%0%
February0%0.1%0.1%0%
March0%0%0%0%
April0%0%0%0%
May0.1%0%0%0%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0.1%0%
September0%0%0.1%0%
October0%0%0.1%0.1%
November0.1%1.4%0.9%0.7%
December0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • Colorado: arrives the second week of November, 1 week later than Wyoming
  • Montana: arrives early November, in the same week than Wyoming
  • South Dakota: arrives mid November, 2 weeks later than Wyoming
  • North Dakota: arrives early November, in the same week than Wyoming

Common questions

When do Long-tailed Ducks arrive in Wyoming?
Long-tailed Ducks mostly pass through Wyoming: they arrive in early November, peak in mid November (1.0% of checklists), and most are gone by early December.
When do Long-tailed Ducks leave Wyoming?
Most Long-tailed Ducks have left Wyoming by early December, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Long-tailed Duck in Wyoming?
The Long-tailed Duck is reported most often in mid November, on about 1.0% of Wyoming checklists.
Where in Wyoming are Long-tailed Ducks seen most often?
By county, Sweetwater County, Albany County, and Fremont County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Long-tailed Duck (counties with at least 200 checklists).