WhenToBird

Spatula clypeata · Anatidae

When Do Northern Shovelers Arrive in Missouri?

Adult male Northern Shoveler
Photo: Chris O'Donoghue, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Northern Shovelers are winter birds in Missouri: the first arrive in mid September, they are common by the second week of October, peak in late March (10% of checklists), and most are gone by early May.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 15-21mid September
Common byOct 8-14the second week of October
PeakMar 22-31late March
Most gone byMay 1-7early May

Best: late March. First arrivals mid September; most are gone by early May. Peak: on about 10% of Missouri checklists.

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

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 3.5% of 12628 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.8% of 9076 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.6% of 8790 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.0% of 11986 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.8% of 8987 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.4% of 10394 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.4% of 15472 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.9% of 9917 checklistsMar 1-7: 6.1% of 9877 checklistsMar 8-14: 8.2% of 9570 checklistsMar 15-21: 9.6% of 10274 checklistsMar 22-31: 10% of 16156 checklistsApr 1-7: 10% of 12774 checklistsApr 8-14: 8.4% of 14048 checklistsApr 15-21: 7.9% of 14894 checklistsApr 22-30: 4.7% of 23288 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.2% of 22645 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.1% of 21384 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.1% of 13989 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.4% of 15784 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 9691 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 9036 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 7907 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 9831 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 8008 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 7202 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 7151 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 9833 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 7639 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.3% of 7507 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.6% of 7429 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.1% of 11182 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.1% of 9471 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.9% of 8501 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.8% of 8169 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.6% of 11572 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.1% of 9028 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.5% of 9413 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.2% of 8656 checklistsOct 22-31: 6.2% of 11625 checklistsNov 1-7: 6.9% of 8627 checklistsNov 8-14: 6.6% of 8284 checklistsNov 15-21: 6.4% of 8075 checklistsNov 22-30: 6.2% of 10430 checklistsDec 1-7: 5.5% of 7870 checklistsDec 8-14: 5.0% of 7567 checklistsDec 15-21: 4.1% of 9696 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.6% of 13142 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 Missouri 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 Missouri

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Holt CountyBest early April · 80 checklists that week, 1,665 in all71%
  2. Pike CountyBest the second week of April · 41 checklists that week, 1,685 in all66%
  3. Polk CountyBest mid March · 26 checklists that week, 1,429 in all53%
  4. Vernon CountyBest the second week of April · 42 checklists that week, 1,443 in all50%
  5. Chariton CountyBest late March · 17 checklists that week, 586 in all47%
  6. Stoddard CountyBest the second week of March · 39 checklists that week, 2,301 in all46%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Clarence Cannon National Wildlife RefugePike County, best late March · 20 checklists that week, 708 in all96%
  2. Little River Conservation AreaDunklin County, best mid December · 22 checklists that week, 537 in all93%
  3. Horseshoe LakeBuchanan County, best early April · 27 checklists that week, 664 in all92%
  4. Eagle Bluffs Conservation AreaBoone County, best late March · 48 checklists that week, 1,684 in all90%
  5. Marais Temps Clair Conservation AreaSt. Charles County, best mid March · 24 checklists that week, 680 in all89%

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

Best time of day

In Missouri, the Northern Shoveler is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (4.8% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (205) to judge1 am: too few checklists (179) to judge2 am: too few checklists (204) to judge3 am: too few checklists (216) to judge4 am: too few checklists (630) to judge5 am: too few checklists (5072) to judge6 am: 2.0% of 27231 checklists7 am: 2.7% of 64162 checklists8 am: 2.9% of 67854 checklists9 am: 3.8% of 56515 checklists10 am: 4.0% of 47496 checklists11 am: 4.1% of 38845 checklists12 pm: 4.5% of 33383 checklists1 pm: 4.9% of 32503 checklists2 pm: 4.7% of 32615 checklists3 pm: 4.4% of 32514 checklists4 pm: 3.8% of 30274 checklists5 pm: 3.0% of 23446 checklists6 pm: 2.5% of 16374 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (10236) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (3133) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (722) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (405) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (261) 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
January3.5%2.8%2.6%3.0%
February2.8%2.4%2.4%3.9%
March6.1%8.2%9.6%10%
April10%8.4%7.9%4.7%
May2.2%1.1%1.1%0.4%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.3%0.6%1.1%
September1.1%0.9%0.8%1.6%
October2.1%2.5%3.2%6.2%
November6.9%6.6%6.4%6.2%
December5.5%5.0%4.1%3.6%

Neighboring states

  • Arkansas: arrives the second week of August, 5 weeks earlier than Missouri
  • Iowa: arrives mid February, 20 weeks later than Missouri
  • Kansas: arrives the second week of August, 5 weeks earlier than Missouri
  • Illinois: arrives late August, 3 weeks earlier than Missouri

Common questions

When do Northern Shovelers arrive in Missouri?
Northern Shovelers are winter birds in Missouri: the first arrive in mid September, they are common by the second week of October, peak in late March (10% of checklists), and most are gone by early May.
When do Northern Shovelers leave Missouri?
Most Northern Shovelers have left Missouri by early May, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of May.
When is the best time to see a Northern Shoveler in Missouri?
The Northern Shoveler is reported most often in late March, on about 10% of Missouri checklists.
Where in Missouri are Northern Shovelers seen most often?
By county, Holt County, Pike County, and Polk County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Shoveler (counties with at least 200 checklists).