WhenToBird

Mergus serrator · Anatidae

When Do Red-breasted Mergansers Arrive in North Carolina?

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

Red-breasted Mergansers are winter birds in North Carolina: they arrive in mid November, peak in early March (2.8% of checklists), and most are gone by early April.

When to look

First arrivalsNov 15-21mid November
Common byNov 15-21mid November
PeakMar 1-7early March
Most gone byApr 1-7early April

Best: early March. First arrivals mid November; most are gone by early April. Peak: on about 2.8% of North Carolina checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junrare
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octrare
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 2.6% of 30085 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.6% of 22728 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.1% of 24292 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.5% of 34122 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.9% of 26352 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.1% of 29663 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.8% of 41515 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.8% of 24318 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.6% of 23408 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.9% of 22658 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.7% of 22784 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.5% of 36034 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.7% of 28131 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.0% of 29190 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.8% of 32847 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.6% of 47966 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.4% of 37076 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.3% of 36228 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.2% of 30378 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.2% of 40237 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.2% of 27551 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 26473 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 22789 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 27615 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 20022 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 19315 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 18934 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 25600 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 17987 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 17307 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 17080 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 25844 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 20818 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 20070 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 21984 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 26979 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 22605 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 22677 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 21407 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.2% of 25927 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.3% of 18830 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.7% of 18418 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.4% of 19101 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.0% of 25709 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.4% of 18856 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.8% of 18745 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.0% of 22478 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.7% of 34796 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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Dare CountyBest mid February · 1861 checklists that week, 83,121 in all21%
  2. Carteret CountyBest mid March · 520 checklists that week, 27,746 in all18%
  3. Transylvania CountyBest the second week of March · 312 checklists that week, 18,992 in all11%
  4. Alexander CountyBest late March · 37 checklists that week, 1,387 in all11%
  5. Washington CountyBest mid January · 191 checklists that week, 3,065 in all9.5%
  6. New Hanover CountyBest mid January · 1021 checklists that week, 33,362 in all9.4%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge (South Point)Dare County, best the second week of February · 29 checklists that week, 1,223 in all66%
  2. Oregon InletDare County, best late January · 24 checklists that week, 189 in all65%
  3. Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge (northwest)Dare County, best mid February · 30 checklists that week, 1,318 in all59%
  4. Port Ferinando (historical)Dare County, best mid January · 29 checklists that week, 698 in all53%
  5. Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge (Green Island Channel)Dare County, best mid January · 22 checklists that week, 380 in all53%

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

Best time of day

In North Carolina, the Red-breasted Merganser is most often listed on checklists started between 2 and 4 pm (1.4% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%12 am: too few checklists (520) to judge1 am: too few checklists (489) to judge2 am: too few checklists (442) to judge3 am: too few checklists (544) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1621) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9671) to judge6 am: 1.2% of 50335 checklists7 am: 1.3% of 150152 checklists8 am: 1.1% of 182902 checklists9 am: 1.1% of 158933 checklists10 am: 1.1% of 128398 checklists11 am: 1.1% of 98671 checklists12 pm: 1.1% of 78640 checklists1 pm: 1.3% of 72510 checklists2 pm: 1.4% of 69179 checklists3 pm: 1.4% of 67669 checklists4 pm: 1.0% of 63964 checklists5 pm: 0.6% of 48520 checklists6 pm: 0.4% of 33196 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (19700) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (6160) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1943) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1119) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (651) 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
January2.6%2.6%3.1%2.5%
February2.9%2.1%1.8%2.8%
March2.6%2.9%2.7%2.5%
April1.7%1.0%0.8%0.6%
May0.4%0.3%0.2%0.2%
June0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0%0.1%
October0.1%0.1%0.1%0.2%
November0.3%0.7%1.4%2.0%
December2.4%2.8%2.0%2.7%

Neighboring states

  • South Carolina: arrives mid November, in the same week than North Carolina
  • Virginia: arrives mid November, in the same week than North Carolina
  • West Virginia: arrives mid November, in the same week than North Carolina
  • District of Columbia: arrives late December, 5 weeks later than North Carolina

Common questions

When do Red-breasted Mergansers arrive in North Carolina?
Red-breasted Mergansers are winter birds in North Carolina: they arrive in mid November, peak in early March (2.8% of checklists), and most are gone by early April.
When do Red-breasted Mergansers leave North Carolina?
Most Red-breasted Mergansers have left North Carolina by early April, 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 Red-breasted Merganser in North Carolina?
The Red-breasted Merganser is reported most often in early March, on about 2.8% of North Carolina checklists.
Where in North Carolina are Red-breasted Mergansers seen most often?
By county, Dare County, Carteret County, and Transylvania County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-breasted Merganser (counties with at least 200 checklists).