WhenToBird

Cairina moschata · Anatidae

When Do Muscovy Ducks Arrive in Mississippi?

Adult male Muscovy Duck
Photo: danygl, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Muscovy Ducks are winter birds in Mississippi: the first arrive in the second week of May, they are common by late May, peak in mid November (4.8% of checklists), and most are gone by early April.

When to look

First arrivalsMay 8-14the second week of May
Common byMay 22-31late May
PeakNov 15-21mid November
Most gone byApr 1-7early April

Best: mid November. First arrivals the second week of May; most are gone by early April. Peak: on about 4.8% of Mississippi checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 2.7% of 4836 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.9% of 3323 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.4% of 3400 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.4% of 4705 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.2% of 3387 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.1% of 3911 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.7% of 4691 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.3% of 3409 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.5% of 3276 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.7% of 3273 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.1% of 3552 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.8% of 5618 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.6% of 4432 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.5% of 4907 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.3% of 5239 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.0% of 7043 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.0% of 4597 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.2% of 4383 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.4% of 3088 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.8% of 3805 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.0% of 2658 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.1% of 2469 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.1% of 2112 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.6% of 2534 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.2% of 2099 checklistsJul 8-14: 3.0% of 1885 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.4% of 1811 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.5% of 2793 checklistsAug 1-7: 2.6% of 2045 checklistsAug 8-14: 2.0% of 2210 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.8% of 2437 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.0% of 3415 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.3% of 2837 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.7% of 2585 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.9% of 2870 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.8% of 3610 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.0% of 2938 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.9% of 3457 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.2% of 3168 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.5% of 3752 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.4% of 2847 checklistsNov 8-14: 4.5% of 2648 checklistsNov 15-21: 5.6% of 2599 checklistsNov 22-30: 4.4% of 3389 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.2% of 2419 checklistsDec 8-14: 4.4% of 2526 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.9% of 2966 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.2% of 4466 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 Mississippi 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 Mississippi

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Scott CountyBest late November · 10 checklists that week, 308 in all25%
  2. Lauderdale CountyBest late September · 32 checklists that week, 2,654 in all18%
  3. Jackson CountyBest mid November · 654 checklists that week, 36,440 in all15%
  4. Stone CountyBest late March · 13 checklists that week, 371 in all13%
  5. Union CountyBest the second week of April · 14 checklists that week, 508 in all11%
  6. Forrest CountyBest late November · 102 checklists that week, 4,572 in all11%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Blue Lake (southwest)Jackson County, best mid November · 20 checklists that week, 427 in all86%
  2. Blue LakeJackson County, best early June · 31 checklists that week, 1,885 in all83%
  3. Ig Levy Memorial ParkJackson County, best mid November · 21 checklists that week, 307 in all65%
  4. Hiller ParkHarrison County, best mid January · 27 checklists that week, 972 in all47%

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

Best time of day

In Mississippi, the Muscovy Duck is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 pm (3.9% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (54) to judge1 am: too few checklists (48) to judge2 am: too few checklists (28) to judge3 am: too few checklists (60) to judge4 am: too few checklists (114) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1139) to judge6 am: 0.9% of 9054 checklists7 am: 1.0% of 18481 checklists8 am: 1.2% of 17525 checklists9 am: 1.9% of 15482 checklists10 am: 2.4% of 14380 checklists11 am: 2.7% of 12728 checklists12 pm: 2.2% of 11009 checklists1 pm: 2.2% of 10651 checklists2 pm: 2.9% of 10787 checklists3 pm: 3.2% of 11221 checklists4 pm: 3.6% of 11861 checklists5 pm: 2.6% of 8854 checklists6 pm: 5.7% of 6018 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (2387) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (314) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (114) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (63) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (48) 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
January2.7%2.9%3.4%2.4%
February2.2%2.1%1.7%2.3%
March2.5%2.7%2.1%1.8%
April1.6%1.5%1.3%1.0%
May1.0%1.2%1.4%1.8%
June2.0%2.1%2.1%2.6%
July1.2%3.0%2.4%2.5%
August2.6%2.0%1.8%2.0%
September1.3%1.7%1.9%1.8%
October2.0%1.9%2.2%3.5%
November3.4%4.5%5.6%4.4%
December4.2%4.4%2.9%3.2%

Neighboring states

  • Alabama: arrives early May, 1 week earlier than Mississippi
  • Louisiana: arrives the second week of May, in the same week than Mississippi
  • Arkansas: arrives mid May, 1 week later than Mississippi
  • Georgia: year-round, peaks early December

Common questions

When do Muscovy Ducks arrive in Mississippi?
Muscovy Ducks are winter birds in Mississippi: the first arrive in the second week of May, they are common by late May, peak in mid November (4.8% of checklists), and most are gone by early April.
When do Muscovy Ducks leave Mississippi?
Most Muscovy Ducks have left Mississippi by early April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid April.
When is the best time to see a Muscovy Duck in Mississippi?
The Muscovy Duck is reported most often in mid November, on about 4.8% of Mississippi checklists.
Where in Mississippi are Muscovy Ducks seen most often?
By county, Scott County, Lauderdale County, and Jackson County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Muscovy Duck (counties with at least 200 checklists).