WhenToBird

Anas platyrhynchos · Anatidae

When Do Mallards Arrive in Georgia?

Adult male Mallard
Photo: euqirneto, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Mallard is in Georgia all year. It turns up on about 13% of checklists at its peak (late November) and on 7.3% in its quietest week (the second week of June).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekNov 22-30late November
Quietest weekJun 8-14the second week of June

Best: late November. Here all year. Peak: on about 13% of Georgia checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 12% of 22238 checklistsJan 8-14: 11% of 16390 checklistsJan 15-21: 11% of 16779 checklistsJan 22-31: 12% of 22964 checklistsFeb 1-7: 12% of 16870 checklistsFeb 8-14: 10% of 19486 checklistsFeb 15-21: 8.2% of 28540 checklistsFeb 22-28: 13% of 17005 checklistsMar 1-7: 13% of 15920 checklistsMar 8-14: 13% of 16274 checklistsMar 15-21: 13% of 16432 checklistsMar 22-31: 13% of 25318 checklistsApr 1-7: 12% of 19292 checklistsApr 8-14: 12% of 19742 checklistsApr 15-21: 11% of 21498 checklistsApr 22-30: 11% of 29736 checklistsMay 1-7: 11% of 20858 checklistsMay 8-14: 11% of 20346 checklistsMay 15-21: 10% of 15859 checklistsMay 22-31: 9.0% of 19867 checklistsJun 1-7: 7.4% of 13467 checklistsJun 8-14: 7.2% of 12812 checklistsJun 15-21: 7.3% of 11379 checklistsJun 22-30: 8.1% of 14121 checklistsJul 1-7: 9.0% of 11176 checklistsJul 8-14: 9.5% of 10695 checklistsJul 15-21: 9.7% of 10655 checklistsJul 22-31: 10% of 15106 checklistsAug 1-7: 10% of 10650 checklistsAug 8-14: 11% of 10247 checklistsAug 15-21: 11% of 10371 checklistsAug 22-31: 11% of 15203 checklistsSep 1-7: 11% of 13007 checklistsSep 8-14: 11% of 12541 checklistsSep 15-21: 9.8% of 12943 checklistsSep 22-30: 9.7% of 17655 checklistsOct 1-7: 9.1% of 14646 checklistsOct 8-14: 8.5% of 15836 checklistsOct 15-21: 9.2% of 13124 checklistsOct 22-31: 10% of 15859 checklistsNov 1-7: 12% of 11711 checklistsNov 8-14: 13% of 11587 checklistsNov 15-21: 13% of 12025 checklistsNov 22-30: 13% of 16431 checklistsDec 1-7: 14% of 11256 checklistsDec 8-14: 13% of 11967 checklistsDec 15-21: 13% of 15618 checklistsDec 22-31: 12% of 22453 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 Georgia 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 Georgia

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Irwin CountyBest mid February · 18 checklists that week, 319 in all59%
  2. Walton CountyBest early September · 90 checklists that week, 4,238 in all47%
  3. Bartow CountyBest late May · 264 checklists that week, 11,762 in all40%
  4. Jeff Davis CountyBest the second week of September · 11 checklists that week, 627 in all39%
  5. Dooly CountyBest early November · 30 checklists that week, 1,911 in all37%
  6. Muscogee CountyBest late June · 178 checklists that week, 12,544 in all34%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. South Bend ParkFulton County, best mid July · 20 checklists that week, 481 in all100%
  2. Huie Land Application FacilityClayton County, best mid October · 40 checklists that week, 1,586 in all99%
  3. Morgan Falls Overlook ParkFulton County, best the second week of July · 26 checklists that week, 1,240 in all98%
  4. Old Fourth Ward ParkFulton County, best mid April · 21 checklists that week, 473 in all98%
  5. Rendering Plant LakeForsyth County, best mid May · 21 checklists that week, 268 in all98%

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

Best time of day

In Georgia, the Mallard is most often listed on checklists started between 4 and 6 pm (12% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (334) to judge1 am: too few checklists (277) to judge2 am: too few checklists (264) to judge3 am: too few checklists (282) to judge4 am: too few checklists (463) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1513) to judge6 am: 7.9% of 16790 checklists7 am: 11% of 73569 checklists8 am: 12% of 104956 checklists9 am: 12% of 96241 checklists10 am: 11% of 81903 checklists11 am: 10% of 66236 checklists12 pm: 9.7% of 56159 checklists1 pm: 10% of 48260 checklists2 pm: 11% of 46435 checklists3 pm: 11% of 46015 checklists4 pm: 12% of 47438 checklists5 pm: 12% of 38866 checklists6 pm: 11% of 26032 checklists7 pm: 9.5% of 16610 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (5490) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (995) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (517) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (310) 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
January12%11%11%12%
February12%10%8.2%13%
March13%13%13%13%
April12%12%11%11%
May11%11%10%9.0%
June7.4%7.2%7.3%8.1%
July9.0%9.5%9.7%10%
August10%11%11%11%
September11%11%9.8%9.7%
October9.1%8.5%9.2%10%
November12%13%13%13%
December14%13%13%12%

Neighboring states

  • South Carolina: all year, most in winter, peaks the second week of January
  • Alabama: all year, most in winter, peaks mid January
  • Tennessee: year-round, peaks early December
  • North Carolina: all year, most in winter, peaks the second week of March

Common questions

When do Mallards arrive in Georgia?
The Mallard is in Georgia all year. It turns up on about 13% of checklists at its peak (late November) and on 7.3% in its quietest week (the second week of June).
When do Mallards leave Georgia?
The Mallard does not leave Georgia: it is reported all year, from 7.3% of checklists in the second week of June to 13% in late November.
When is the best time to see a Mallard in Georgia?
The Mallard is reported most often in late November, on about 13% of Georgia checklists.
Where in Georgia are Mallards seen most often?
By county, Irwin County, Walton County, and Bartow County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Mallard (counties with at least 200 checklists).