WhenToBird

Mergus serrator · Anatidae

When Do Red-breasted Mergansers Arrive in Missouri?

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

Red-breasted Mergansers are winter birds in Missouri: they arrive in early November, peak in late November (2.2% 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 2.2% of Missouri checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprcommon
  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%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 0.7% of 12628 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.7% of 9076 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.5% of 8790 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.4% of 11986 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.5% of 8987 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.5% of 10394 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.3% of 15472 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.8% of 9917 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.9% of 9877 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.4% of 9570 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.0% of 10274 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.8% of 16156 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.3% of 12774 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.9% of 14048 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.7% of 14894 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.8% of 23288 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.3% of 22645 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.2% of 21384 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 13989 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 15784 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 9691 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 9036 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 7907 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 9831 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 8008 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 7202 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 7151 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 9833 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 7639 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 7507 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 7429 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 11182 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 9471 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 8501 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 8169 checklistsSep 22-30: 0% of 11572 checklistsOct 1-7: 0% of 9028 checklistsOct 8-14: 0% of 9413 checklistsOct 15-21: 0% of 8656 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 11625 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.0% of 8627 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.5% of 8284 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.2% of 8075 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.1% of 10430 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.2% of 7870 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.7% of 7567 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.8% of 9696 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.8% 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. Macon CountyBest the second week of November · 41 checklists that week, 1,377 in all17%
  2. Nodaway CountyBest late March · 25 checklists that week, 834 in all16%
  3. St. Charles CountyBest late November · 810 checklists that week, 33,508 in all13%
  4. Clay CountyBest mid November · 226 checklists that week, 14,361 in all13%
  5. Cedar CountyBest mid April · 55 checklists that week, 2,336 in all12%
  6. Lafayette CountyBest mid March · 36 checklists that week, 1,053 in all11%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Alton SloughSt. Charles County, best the second week of March · 93 checklists that week, 7,626 in all46%
  2. Smithville Recreation AreaClay County, best the second week of November · 21 checklists that week, 302 in all44%
  3. Lake RemoteClay County, best mid November · 32 checklists that week, 898 in all39%
  4. Smithville Lake (Camp Branch)Clay County, best late November · 22 checklists that week, 540 in all35%
  5. Lake SpringfieldGreene County, best the second week of December · 22 checklists that week, 298 in all31%
  6. Fellows LakeGreene County, best late March · 59 checklists that week, 1,227 in all28%

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

Best time of day

In Missouri, the Red-breasted Merganser is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (0.9% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%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: 0.4% of 27231 checklists7 am: 0.5% of 64162 checklists8 am: 0.4% of 67854 checklists9 am: 0.5% of 56515 checklists10 am: 0.6% of 47496 checklists11 am: 0.7% of 38845 checklists12 pm: 0.8% of 33383 checklists1 pm: 0.9% of 32503 checklists2 pm: 0.8% of 32615 checklists3 pm: 0.8% of 32514 checklists4 pm: 0.7% of 30274 checklists5 pm: 0.3% of 23446 checklists6 pm: 0.3% 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
January0.7%0.7%0.5%0.4%
February0.5%0.5%0.3%0.8%
March0.9%1.4%2.0%1.8%
April1.3%0.9%0.7%0.8%
May0.3%0.2%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0%0.1%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0%0%
October0%0%0%0.1%
November1.0%1.5%2.2%2.1%
December2.2%1.7%0.8%0.8%

Neighboring states

  • Arkansas: arrives early November, in the same week than Missouri
  • Iowa: arrives late February, 15 weeks later than Missouri
  • Kansas: arrives early November, in the same week than Missouri
  • Illinois: arrives late October, 1 week earlier than Missouri

Common questions

When do Red-breasted Mergansers arrive in Missouri?
Red-breasted Mergansers are winter birds in Missouri: they arrive in early November, peak in late November (2.2% of checklists), and most are gone by early February.
When do Red-breasted Mergansers leave Missouri?
Most Red-breasted Mergansers have left Missouri by early February, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Red-breasted Merganser in Missouri?
The Red-breasted Merganser is reported most often in late November, on about 2.2% of Missouri checklists.
Where in Missouri are Red-breasted Mergansers seen most often?
By county, Macon County, Nodaway County, and St. Charles County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-breasted Merganser (counties with at least 200 checklists).