WhenToBird

Anas platyrhynchos · Anatidae

When Do Mallards Arrive in Minnesota?

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

Mallards are in Minnesota all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from the second week of March, peak in mid April (55% of checklists), and fall back by early June. In the quietest week (the second week of February) they are still on about 12% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMar 8-14the second week of March
PeakApr 15-21mid April
Fall back byJun 1-7early June
FewestFeb 8-14the second week of February

Best: mid April. Here all year; numbers build from the second week of March and fall back by early June. Peak: on about 55% of Minnesota checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  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: 18% of 20628 checklistsJan 8-14: 16% of 14594 checklistsJan 15-21: 14% of 14238 checklistsJan 22-31: 16% of 20725 checklistsFeb 1-7: 15% of 14484 checklistsFeb 8-14: 11% of 15988 checklistsFeb 15-21: 12% of 20718 checklistsFeb 22-28: 22% of 15754 checklistsMar 1-7: 30% of 16125 checklistsMar 8-14: 40% of 19035 checklistsMar 15-21: 45% of 19586 checklistsMar 22-31: 51% of 30192 checklistsApr 1-7: 54% of 24262 checklistsApr 8-14: 55% of 30223 checklistsApr 15-21: 56% of 29085 checklistsApr 22-30: 55% of 43574 checklistsMay 1-7: 52% of 39300 checklistsMay 8-14: 45% of 45927 checklistsMay 15-21: 43% of 36632 checklistsMay 22-31: 38% of 43809 checklistsJun 1-7: 32% of 23418 checklistsJun 8-14: 29% of 20450 checklistsJun 15-21: 25% of 19470 checklistsJun 22-30: 23% of 23418 checklistsJul 1-7: 22% of 19104 checklistsJul 8-14: 22% of 16927 checklistsJul 15-21: 24% of 15635 checklistsJul 22-31: 26% of 22073 checklistsAug 1-7: 27% of 16255 checklistsAug 8-14: 29% of 16840 checklistsAug 15-21: 28% of 17475 checklistsAug 22-31: 28% of 26545 checklistsSep 1-7: 28% of 20750 checklistsSep 8-14: 29% of 18494 checklistsSep 15-21: 28% of 18215 checklistsSep 22-30: 29% of 24463 checklistsOct 1-7: 30% of 18252 checklistsOct 8-14: 31% of 19527 checklistsOct 15-21: 34% of 17098 checklistsOct 22-31: 33% of 24570 checklistsNov 1-7: 36% of 16744 checklistsNov 8-14: 37% of 13483 checklistsNov 15-21: 37% of 12525 checklistsNov 22-30: 34% of 17023 checklistsDec 1-7: 27% of 11645 checklistsDec 8-14: 21% of 11567 checklistsDec 15-21: 20% of 13343 checklistsDec 22-31: 18% of 19759 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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Yellow Medicine CountyBest early March · 30 checklists that week, 1,931 in all79%
  2. Houston CountyBest mid November · 191 checklists that week, 4,754 in all75%
  3. Lyon CountyBest late March · 183 checklists that week, 4,283 in all73%
  4. Hennepin CountyBest mid April · 6759 checklists that week, 223,149 in all70%
  5. Waseca CountyBest the second week of March · 19 checklists that week, 1,630 in all70%
  6. Benton CountyBest the second week of April · 209 checklists that week, 6,111 in all70%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Maplewood Nature CenterRamsey County, best early October · 47 checklists that week, 1,664 in all100%
  2. Silver LakeOlmsted County, best the second week of April · 36 checklists that week, 445 in all100%
  3. Western Waterfront TrailSt. Louis County, best the second week of November · 28 checklists that week, 1,973 in all100%
  4. Langton Lake ParkRamsey County, best late October · 20 checklists that week, 525 in all100%
  5. Bass Lake PreserveHennepin County, best late March · 20 checklists that week, 596 in all100%

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

Best time of day

In Minnesota, the Mallard is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 pm (41% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%12 am: too few checklists (349) to judge1 am: too few checklists (331) to judge2 am: too few checklists (286) to judge3 am: too few checklists (364) to judge4 am: too few checklists (863) to judge5 am: too few checklists (7598) to judge6 am: 38% of 35775 checklists7 am: 33% of 90565 checklists8 am: 32% of 110612 checklists9 am: 32% of 106128 checklists10 am: 31% of 96131 checklists11 am: 30% of 83750 checklists12 pm: 31% of 76254 checklists1 pm: 32% of 73480 checklists2 pm: 34% of 73703 checklists3 pm: 35% of 75249 checklists4 pm: 38% of 68810 checklists5 pm: 40% of 51899 checklists6 pm: 42% of 38524 checklists7 pm: 40% of 25120 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (10568) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2420) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (748) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (420) 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
January18%16%14%16%
February15%11%12%22%
March30%40%45%51%
April54%55%56%55%
May52%45%43%38%
June32%29%25%23%
July22%22%24%26%
August27%29%28%28%
September28%29%28%29%
October30%31%34%33%
November36%37%37%34%
December27%21%20%18%

Neighboring states

  • Iowa: arrives late February, 2 weeks earlier than Minnesota
  • Wisconsin: arrives early March, 1 week earlier than Minnesota
  • South Dakota: arrives early March, 1 week earlier than Minnesota
  • North Dakota: arrives mid March, 1 week later than Minnesota

Common questions

When do Mallards arrive in Minnesota?
Mallards are in Minnesota all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from the second week of March, peak in mid April (55% of checklists), and fall back by early June. In the quietest week (the second week of February) they are still on about 12% of checklists.
When do Mallards leave Minnesota?
Mallards never fully leave Minnesota: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by early June, but some are still reported in every week, about 12% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Mallard in Minnesota?
The Mallard is reported most often in mid April, on about 55% of Minnesota checklists.
Where in Minnesota are Mallards seen most often?
By county, Yellow Medicine County, Houston County, and Lyon County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Mallard (counties with at least 200 checklists).