WhenToBird

Mergus serrator · Anatidae

When Do Red-breasted Mergansers Arrive in Arkansas?

Adult male Red-breasted Merganser
Photo: Peter Chen 2.0, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Red-breasted Mergansers are winter birds in Arkansas: they arrive in early November, peak in late November (1.1% of checklists), and most are gone by early February.

When to look

First arrivalsNov 1-7early November
Common byNov 1-7early November
PeakNov 22-30late November
Most gone byFeb 1-7early February

Best: late November. First arrivals early November; most are gone by early February. Peak: on about 1.1% of Arkansas checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octrare
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%Jan 1-7: 0.3% of 5292 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.4% of 4085 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.2% of 4531 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.3% of 6500 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.3% of 4752 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 5385 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.2% of 7219 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.4% of 4163 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.6% of 3952 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.7% of 4067 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.3% of 4446 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.5% of 6911 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.4% of 5422 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.3% of 6043 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.4% of 6759 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.3% of 10236 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.2% of 8243 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 7467 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 6160 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 7287 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 4884 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 4444 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 3579 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 3858 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 3042 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 2889 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 2599 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 3825 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 2951 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 2765 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 2838 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 4360 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 3573 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 3314 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 3118 checklistsSep 22-30: 0% of 4381 checklistsOct 1-7: 0% of 3640 checklistsOct 8-14: 0% of 4119 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 3810 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 4956 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.4% of 3704 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.0% of 3678 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.0% of 3457 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.1% of 4648 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.1% of 3390 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.8% of 3510 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.3% of 4540 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.5% of 6404 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 Arkansas 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 Arkansas

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Drew CountyBest late November · 16 checklists that week, 720 in all13%
  2. Yell CountyBest late November · 47 checklists that week, 2,585 in all10%
  3. Clark CountyBest mid November · 34 checklists that week, 809 in all7.3%
  4. Desha CountyBest the second week of December · 10 checklists that week, 756 in all7.1%
  5. Lawrence CountyBest late November · 10 checklists that week, 352 in all5.9%
  6. Logan CountyBest mid December · 16 checklists that week, 1,122 in all5.6%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Maumelle HarborPulaski County, best early March · 31 checklists that week, 333 in all29%
  2. Vista ParkPulaski County, best the second week of December · 31 checklists that week, 509 in all28%
  3. Lake ElmdaleWashington County, best mid April · 20 checklists that week, 639 in all27%
  4. Beaver Fork LakeFaulkner County, best early March · 30 checklists that week, 1,008 in all10%
  5. Craighead Forest ParkCraighead County, best late March · 24 checklists that week, 818 in all9.8%
  6. Sunset LakeSaline County, best early April · 21 checklists that week, 900 in all8.2%

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

Best time of day

In Arkansas, the Red-breasted Merganser is most often listed on checklists started between 2 and 4 pm (0.4% of those checklists).

0%0.5%12 am: too few checklists (98) to judge1 am: too few checklists (88) to judge2 am: too few checklists (95) to judge3 am: too few checklists (94) to judge4 am: too few checklists (145) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1455) to judge6 am: 0.2% of 10807 checklists7 am: 0.2% of 27761 checklists8 am: 0.1% of 30943 checklists9 am: 0.3% of 26975 checklists10 am: 0.3% of 21989 checklists11 am: 0.3% of 16828 checklists12 pm: 0.4% of 14069 checklists1 pm: 0.4% of 13145 checklists2 pm: 0.4% of 12780 checklists3 pm: 0.5% of 12723 checklists4 pm: 0.3% of 12500 checklists5 pm: 0.3% of 9576 checklists6 pm: 0.1% of 7182 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (4187) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (1314) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (245) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (122) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (75) 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
January0.3%0.4%0.2%0.3%
February0.3%0.1%0.2%0.4%
March0.6%0.7%0.3%0.5%
April0.4%0.3%0.4%0.3%
May0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0%0%
October0%0%0.1%0.1%
November0.4%1.0%1.0%1.1%
December1.1%0.8%0.3%0.5%

Neighboring states

  • Missouri: arrives early November, in the same week than Arkansas
  • Oklahoma: arrives early November, in the same week than Arkansas
  • Kansas: arrives early November, in the same week than Arkansas
  • Mississippi: arrives the second week of November, 1 week later than Arkansas

Common questions

When do Red-breasted Mergansers arrive in Arkansas?
Red-breasted Mergansers are winter birds in Arkansas: they arrive in early November, peak in late November (1.1% of checklists), and most are gone by early February.
When do Red-breasted Mergansers leave Arkansas?
Most Red-breasted Mergansers have left Arkansas by early February, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Red-breasted Merganser in Arkansas?
The Red-breasted Merganser is reported most often in late November, on about 1.1% of Arkansas checklists.
Where in Arkansas are Red-breasted Mergansers seen most often?
By county, Drew County, Yell County, and Clark County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-breasted Merganser (counties with at least 200 checklists).