WhenToBird

Anas platyrhynchos · Anatidae

When Do Mallards Arrive in Michigan?

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

The Mallard is in Michigan all year. It turns up on about 47% of checklists at its peak (early April) and on 19% in its quietest week (early July).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekApr 1-7early April
Quietest weekJul 1-7early July

Best: early April. Here all year. Peak: on about 47% of Michigan checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 28% of 38160 checklistsJan 8-14: 26% of 24696 checklistsJan 15-21: 23% of 23771 checklistsJan 22-31: 23% of 31347 checklistsFeb 1-7: 24% of 23225 checklistsFeb 8-14: 22% of 27398 checklistsFeb 15-21: 20% of 36606 checklistsFeb 22-28: 32% of 27127 checklistsMar 1-7: 37% of 29700 checklistsMar 8-14: 41% of 31587 checklistsMar 15-21: 44% of 32118 checklistsMar 22-31: 47% of 47777 checklistsApr 1-7: 46% of 38557 checklistsApr 8-14: 47% of 42207 checklistsApr 15-21: 45% of 42759 checklistsApr 22-30: 44% of 64458 checklistsMay 1-7: 40% of 60998 checklistsMay 8-14: 36% of 72091 checklistsMay 15-21: 35% of 59058 checklistsMay 22-31: 31% of 64724 checklistsJun 1-7: 26% of 35990 checklistsJun 8-14: 22% of 32595 checklistsJun 15-21: 20% of 30017 checklistsJun 22-30: 19% of 33988 checklistsJul 1-7: 19% of 28708 checklistsJul 8-14: 20% of 25175 checklistsJul 15-21: 22% of 24084 checklistsJul 22-31: 24% of 33522 checklistsAug 1-7: 25% of 25098 checklistsAug 8-14: 26% of 24353 checklistsAug 15-21: 28% of 25059 checklistsAug 22-31: 29% of 37489 checklistsSep 1-7: 28% of 28410 checklistsSep 8-14: 27% of 27887 checklistsSep 15-21: 28% of 26614 checklistsSep 22-30: 28% of 32557 checklistsOct 1-7: 30% of 25844 checklistsOct 8-14: 30% of 27741 checklistsOct 15-21: 32% of 24693 checklistsOct 22-31: 33% of 32460 checklistsNov 1-7: 34% of 23660 checklistsNov 8-14: 34% of 21542 checklistsNov 15-21: 34% of 19922 checklistsNov 22-30: 33% of 25069 checklistsDec 1-7: 30% of 18272 checklistsDec 8-14: 29% of 18961 checklistsDec 15-21: 26% of 24171 checklistsDec 22-31: 26% of 30908 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 Michigan 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 Michigan

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Gratiot CountyBest the second week of April · 153 checklists that week, 5,892 in all68%
  2. Bay CountyBest late April · 743 checklists that week, 16,522 in all65%
  3. Macomb CountyBest mid April · 1606 checklists that week, 61,232 in all64%
  4. Clinton CountyBest late March · 380 checklists that week, 10,597 in all63%
  5. Monroe CountyBest mid April · 707 checklists that week, 22,078 in all61%
  6. Roscommon CountyBest early April · 122 checklists that week, 7,054 in all58%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Riverside Park (Indian Mill Creek)Kent County, best the second week of January · 26 checklists that week, 308 in all100%
  2. Moores ParkIngham County, best early January · 28 checklists that week, 355 in all100%
  3. Hines Parkway (Nankin Lake)Wayne County, best early January · 20 checklists that week, 738 in all100%
  4. Municipal ParkIngham County, best early September · 20 checklists that week, 533 in all100%
  5. Forest Nature AreaWashtenaw County, best late January · 20 checklists that week, 178 in all100%
  6. Oden State Fish Hatchery and Visitor CenterEmmet County, best late August · 23 checklists that week, 457 in all100%

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

Best time of day

In Michigan, the Mallard is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 pm (34% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%40%12 am: too few checklists (712) to judge1 am: too few checklists (592) to judge2 am: too few checklists (532) to judge3 am: too few checklists (516) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1592) to judge5 am: too few checklists (6849) to judge6 am: 34% of 39298 checklists7 am: 32% of 120344 checklists8 am: 31% of 180109 checklists9 am: 31% of 171966 checklists10 am: 31% of 156332 checklists11 am: 30% of 134964 checklists12 pm: 31% of 120967 checklists1 pm: 32% of 113852 checklists2 pm: 33% of 110773 checklists3 pm: 32% of 105530 checklists4 pm: 34% of 100958 checklists5 pm: 33% of 80085 checklists6 pm: 34% of 62883 checklists7 pm: 34% of 44912 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (21062) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5920) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1629) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (775) 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
January28%26%23%23%
February24%22%20%32%
March37%41%44%47%
April46%47%45%44%
May40%36%35%31%
June26%22%20%19%
July19%20%22%24%
August25%26%28%29%
September28%27%28%28%
October30%30%32%33%
November34%34%34%33%
December30%29%26%26%

Neighboring states

  • Ohio: year-round, peaks late March
  • Indiana: year-round, peaks mid March
  • Illinois: year-round, peaks late March
  • Wisconsin: all year, most in spring, peaks the second week of April

Common questions

When do Mallards arrive in Michigan?
The Mallard is in Michigan all year. It turns up on about 47% of checklists at its peak (early April) and on 19% in its quietest week (early July).
When do Mallards leave Michigan?
The Mallard does not leave Michigan: it is reported all year, from 19% of checklists in early July to 47% in early April.
When is the best time to see a Mallard in Michigan?
The Mallard is reported most often in early April, on about 47% of Michigan checklists.
Where in Michigan are Mallards seen most often?
By county, Gratiot County, Bay County, and Macomb County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Mallard (counties with at least 200 checklists).