WhenToBird

Anas acuta · Anatidae

When Do Northern Pintails Arrive in Vermont?

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

Northern Pintails are winter birds in Vermont: they arrive in mid February, peak in the second week of March (3.4% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of April.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 15-21mid February
Common byFeb 15-21mid February
PeakMar 8-14the second week of March
Most gone byApr 8-14the second week of April

Best: the second week of March. First arrivals mid February; most are gone by the second week of April. Peak: on about 3.4% of Vermont checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augrare
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decrare

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 0.2% of 12234 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.3% of 8293 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.3% of 7885 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.3% of 10534 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.3% of 7212 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.3% of 8144 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.4% of 10480 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.3% of 7932 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.0% of 8192 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.9% of 9383 checklistsMar 15-21: 4.0% of 10620 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.6% of 16257 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.2% of 12568 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.6% of 14677 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.4% of 14106 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 19617 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 18143 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 19626 checklistsMay 15-21: 0% of 17779 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 20310 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 11493 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 10215 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 9951 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 11050 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 8690 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 7679 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 7687 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 10712 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.2% of 7703 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.2% of 7743 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 8314 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.2% of 12428 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.2% of 9526 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.4% of 8493 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.8% of 8283 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.0% of 10352 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.7% of 8802 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.2% of 9088 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.0% of 7739 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.5% of 10907 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.3% of 7868 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.5% of 7223 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.9% of 7224 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.4% of 8375 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.3% of 6580 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.3% of 6800 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 8334 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% of 10579 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 Vermont 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 Vermont

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Addison CountyBest mid March · 1957 checklists that week, 77,064 in all10%
  2. Grand Isle CountyBest early March · 139 checklists that week, 8,507 in all7.0%
  3. Franklin CountyBest late March · 799 checklists that week, 25,284 in all4.8%
  4. Chittenden CountyBest the second week of October · 2142 checklists that week, 109,477 in all4.2%
  5. Windham CountyBest mid March · 1060 checklists that week, 39,105 in all3.2%
  6. Essex CountyBest early December · 82 checklists that week, 9,416 in all1.8%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Pine IslandChittenden County, best the second week of March · 49 checklists that week, 636 in all59%
  2. Holcomb Slang CreekAddison County, best the second week of March · 24 checklists that week, 503 in all49%
  3. Dead Creek Wildlife Management Area (north)Addison County, best mid March · 20 checklists that week, 551 in all46%
  4. Dead Creek Wildlife Management Area (west)Addison County, best the second week of March · 44 checklists that week, 1,505 in all36%
  5. Chimney PointAddison County, best the second week of March · 94 checklists that week, 1,924 in all36%

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

Best time of day

In Vermont, the Northern Pintail is most often listed on checklists started between 2 and 4 pm (1.0% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%12 am: too few checklists (384) to judge1 am: too few checklists (418) to judge2 am: too few checklists (568) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1183) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3460) to judge5 am: 0.1% of 10340 checklists6 am: 0.4% of 30951 checklists7 am: 0.4% of 64150 checklists8 am: 0.4% of 70252 checklists9 am: 0.6% of 55280 checklists10 am: 0.8% of 47111 checklists11 am: 0.9% of 37615 checklists12 pm: 0.9% of 32195 checklists1 pm: 0.8% of 30185 checklists2 pm: 1.0% of 29679 checklists3 pm: 1.0% of 26483 checklists4 pm: 0.9% of 20110 checklists5 pm: 0.8% of 15993 checklists6 pm: 0.3% of 12110 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (8203) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (4425) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1829) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (597) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (309) 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
January0.2%0.3%0.3%0.3%
February0.3%0.3%0.4%1.3%
March2.0%3.9%4.0%2.6%
April1.2%0.6%0.4%0.1%
May0.1%0.1%0%0.1%
June0%0%0%0%
July0.1%0%0%0%
August0.2%0.2%0.1%0.2%
September0.2%0.4%0.8%1.0%
October1.7%1.2%1.0%1.5%
November1.3%1.5%0.9%0.4%
December0.3%0.3%0.1%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • New Hampshire: arrives early January, 6 weeks earlier than Vermont
  • Massachusetts: arrives the second week of October, 17 weeks earlier than Vermont
  • Connecticut: arrives mid October, 16 weeks earlier than Vermont
  • Rhode Island: arrives early October, 18 weeks earlier than Vermont

Common questions

When do Northern Pintails arrive in Vermont?
Northern Pintails are winter birds in Vermont: they arrive in mid February, peak in the second week of March (3.4% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of April.
When do Northern Pintails leave Vermont?
Most Northern Pintails have left Vermont by the second week of April, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Northern Pintail in Vermont?
The Northern Pintail is reported most often in the second week of March, on about 3.4% of Vermont checklists.
Where in Vermont are Northern Pintails seen most often?
By county, Addison County, Grand Isle County, and Franklin County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Pintail (counties with at least 200 checklists).