WhenToBird

Anas acuta · Anatidae

When Do Northern Pintails Arrive in Ohio?

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

Northern Pintails mostly pass through Ohio: the first show up in the second week of October, they are common by early February, peak in early March (7.2% of checklists), and most are gone by late March.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 8-14the second week of October
Common byFeb 1-7early February
PeakMar 1-7early March
Most gone byMar 22-31late March

Best: early March. First arrivals the second week of October; most are gone by late March. Peak: on about 7.2% of Ohio checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Seprare
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 1.8% of 46637 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.9% of 31056 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.7% of 30129 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.6% of 38665 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.4% of 27203 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.5% of 30626 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.8% of 40705 checklistsFeb 22-28: 7.8% of 31391 checklistsMar 1-7: 7.8% of 32914 checklistsMar 8-14: 6.2% of 33973 checklistsMar 15-21: 4.7% of 33678 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.5% of 49889 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.0% of 41225 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.0% of 47174 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.8% of 47017 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.4% of 73055 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.3% of 80637 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.2% of 102552 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 64582 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 52766 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 29279 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 25773 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 23163 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 27794 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 23334 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 22147 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 20998 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 29749 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 22899 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 21972 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 22215 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 35087 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.2% of 29148 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.3% of 28042 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.4% of 26751 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.6% of 32398 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.9% of 26209 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.2% of 26809 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.6% of 23504 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.7% of 33269 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.7% of 25563 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.4% of 23810 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.6% of 22127 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.5% of 29449 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.4% of 22370 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.4% of 21581 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.3% of 24232 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.6% of 36084 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 Ohio 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 Ohio

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Wayne CountyBest early March · 1157 checklists that week, 37,443 in all36%
  2. Wyandot CountyBest early March · 132 checklists that week, 6,235 in all34%
  3. Brown CountyBest early March · 33 checklists that week, 1,793 in all29%
  4. Marion CountyBest the second week of March · 328 checklists that week, 14,246 in all28%
  5. Sandusky CountyBest early March · 247 checklists that week, 14,537 in all23%
  6. Mercer CountyBest the second week of March · 46 checklists that week, 2,091 in all20%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Mohicanville ReservoirWayne County, best the second week of March · 131 checklists that week, 4,208 in all83%
  2. Killdeer Wildlife Pond Number ThreeWyandot County, best late February · 27 checklists that week, 735 in all81%
  3. Killbuck Marsh Wildlife Area (Dush Pond)Wayne County, best late February · 51 checklists that week, 983 in all80%
  4. Killbuck SwampWayne County, best mid February · 29 checklists that week, 862 in all79%

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

Best time of day

In Ohio, the Northern Pintail is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (1.9% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%12 am: too few checklists (574) to judge1 am: too few checklists (609) to judge2 am: too few checklists (466) to judge3 am: too few checklists (478) to judge4 am: too few checklists (662) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4366) to judge6 am: 0.4% of 43093 checklists7 am: 1.0% of 142017 checklists8 am: 1.2% of 205296 checklists9 am: 1.4% of 196322 checklists10 am: 1.6% of 170882 checklists11 am: 1.7% of 144567 checklists12 pm: 1.7% of 126551 checklists1 pm: 1.9% of 117855 checklists2 pm: 1.9% of 112869 checklists3 pm: 1.8% of 109786 checklists4 pm: 1.7% of 103116 checklists5 pm: 1.4% of 78409 checklists6 pm: 0.7% of 56785 checklists7 pm: 0.3% of 37923 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (14954) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2710) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (854) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (486) 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
January1.8%1.9%1.7%1.6%
February2.4%3.5%3.8%7.8%
March7.8%6.2%4.7%3.5%
April2.0%1.0%0.8%0.4%
May0.3%0.2%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.2%0.3%0.4%0.6%
October0.9%1.2%1.6%1.7%
November1.7%1.4%1.6%1.5%
December1.4%1.4%1.3%1.6%

Neighboring states

  • West Virginia: arrives early November, 3 weeks later than Ohio
  • Indiana: arrives late September, 2 weeks earlier than Ohio
  • Michigan: arrives the second week of September, 4 weeks earlier than Ohio
  • Kentucky: arrives late October, 2 weeks later than Ohio

Common questions

When do Northern Pintails arrive in Ohio?
Northern Pintails mostly pass through Ohio: the first show up in the second week of October, they are common by early February, peak in early March (7.2% of checklists), and most are gone by late March.
When do Northern Pintails leave Ohio?
Most Northern Pintails have left Ohio by late March, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of April.
When is the best time to see a Northern Pintail in Ohio?
The Northern Pintail is reported most often in early March, on about 7.2% of Ohio checklists.
Where in Ohio are Northern Pintails seen most often?
By county, Wayne County, Wyandot County, and Brown County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Pintail (counties with at least 200 checklists).