WhenToBird

Anas acuta · Anatidae

When Do Northern Pintails Arrive in Michigan?

Adult Northern Pintail
Photo: Jan Ebr & Ivana Ebrová, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Northern Pintails are winter birds in Michigan: they arrive in the second week of September, peak in the second week of March (2.8% of checklists), and most are gone by early May.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 8-14the second week of September
Common bySep 8-14the second week of September
PeakMar 8-14the second week of March
Most gone byMay 1-7early May

Best: the second week of March. First arrivals the second week of September; most are gone by early May. Peak: on about 2.8% of Michigan checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augrare
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 0.9% of 38160 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.8% of 24696 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.6% of 23771 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.6% of 31347 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.7% of 23225 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.5% of 27398 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.6% of 36606 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.8% of 27127 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.8% of 29700 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.8% of 31587 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.7% of 32118 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.5% of 47777 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.9% of 38557 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.8% of 42207 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.4% of 42759 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.1% of 64458 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.4% of 60998 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.2% of 72091 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 59058 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 64724 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 35990 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.2% of 32595 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 30017 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 33988 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 28708 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 25175 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 24084 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 33522 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 25098 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 24353 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 25059 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.2% of 37489 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.3% of 28410 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.5% of 27887 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.8% of 26614 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.9% of 32557 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.3% of 25844 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.4% of 27741 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.6% of 24693 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.4% of 32460 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.3% of 23660 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.1% of 21542 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.0% of 19922 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.7% of 25069 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.7% of 18272 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.7% of 18961 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.6% of 24171 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.8% 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.

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Where in Michigan

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Gratiot CountyBest late March · 237 checklists that week, 5,892 in all36%
  2. Bay CountyBest mid March · 293 checklists that week, 16,522 in all22%
  3. Saginaw CountyBest mid March · 189 checklists that week, 8,573 in all20%
  4. Monroe CountyBest mid March · 414 checklists that week, 22,078 in all16%
  5. Sanilac CountyBest late March · 74 checklists that week, 4,539 in all15%
  6. Tuscola CountyBest late October · 125 checklists that week, 5,683 in all14%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Fish Point State Wildlife AreaTuscola County, best late October · 25 checklists that week, 998 in all71%
  2. Nayanquing Point State Wildlife AreaBay County, best mid March · 52 checklists that week, 3,152 in all70%
  3. Crystal BayouSaginaw County, best mid March · 36 checklists that week, 1,554 in all61%
  4. Farm Service Agency Interest of MiLenawee County, best mid March · 49 checklists that week, 714 in all60%

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

Best time of day

In Michigan, the Northern Pintail is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (1.0% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%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: 0.3% of 39298 checklists7 am: 0.6% of 120344 checklists8 am: 0.7% of 180109 checklists9 am: 0.8% of 171966 checklists10 am: 0.9% of 156332 checklists11 am: 0.9% of 134964 checklists12 pm: 1.0% of 120967 checklists1 pm: 1.0% of 113852 checklists2 pm: 1.0% of 110773 checklists3 pm: 1.0% of 105530 checklists4 pm: 1.0% of 100958 checklists5 pm: 0.9% of 80085 checklists6 pm: 0.7% of 62883 checklists7 pm: 0.4% 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
January0.9%0.8%0.6%0.6%
February0.7%0.5%0.6%1.8%
March2.8%2.8%2.7%2.5%
April1.9%1.8%1.4%1.1%
May0.4%0.2%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0.2%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.2%
September0.3%0.5%0.8%0.9%
October1.3%1.4%1.6%1.4%
November1.3%1.1%1.0%0.7%
December0.7%0.7%0.6%0.8%

Neighboring states

  • Ohio: arrives the second week of October, 4 weeks later than Michigan
  • Indiana: arrives late September, 2 weeks later than Michigan
  • Illinois: arrives mid September, 1 week later than Michigan
  • Wisconsin: arrives mid February, 21 weeks later than Michigan

Common questions

When do Northern Pintails arrive in Michigan?
Northern Pintails are winter birds in Michigan: they arrive in the second week of September, peak in the second week of March (2.8% of checklists), and most are gone by early May.
When do Northern Pintails leave Michigan?
Most Northern Pintails have left Michigan by early May, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Northern Pintail in Michigan?
The Northern Pintail is reported most often in the second week of March, on about 2.8% of Michigan checklists.
Where in Michigan are Northern Pintails seen most often?
By county, Gratiot County, Bay County, and Saginaw County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Pintail (counties with at least 200 checklists).