WhenToBird

Mergus serrator · Anatidae

When Do Red-breasted Mergansers Arrive in South Dakota?

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

Red-breasted Mergansers arrive in South Dakota in the second week of November, peak in the second week of April (2.4% of checklists), and most are gone by late April.

When to look

First arrivalsNov 8-14the second week of November
Common byNov 8-14the second week of November
PeakApr 8-14the second week of April
Most gone byApr 22-30late April

Best: the second week of April. First arrivals the second week of November; most are gone by late April. Peak: on about 2.4% of South Dakota checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octrare
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 1.1% of 1699 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.9% of 967 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.4% of 893 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.2% of 1338 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.2% of 898 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.5% of 1013 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.2% of 1650 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.6% of 1011 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.5% of 1304 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.2% of 1447 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.5% of 1524 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.0% of 2850 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.7% of 2170 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.6% of 2259 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.0% of 2578 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.1% of 3858 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.3% of 3532 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 4498 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 4211 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 5094 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 3279 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 3503 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 2861 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 3893 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 2666 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 2554 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 2412 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 2746 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 1842 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 1899 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 1757 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 2464 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 1894 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 1794 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 1671 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 2085 checklistsOct 1-7: 0% of 1429 checklistsOct 8-14: 0% of 1441 checklistsOct 15-21: 0% of 1330 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 1471 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.6% of 1168 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.5% of 1068 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.5% of 985 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.0% of 1108 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.6% of 890 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.4% of 957 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.5% of 1246 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.7% of 1514 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 South Dakota 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 South Dakota

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Charles Mix CountyBest mid January · 28 checklists that week, 2,198 in all29%
  2. Edmunds CountyBest early April · 11 checklists that week, 466 in all12%
  3. Hamlin CountyBest mid April · 12 checklists that week, 314 in all11%
  4. Gregory CountyBest late March · 11 checklists that week, 472 in all9.4%
  5. Yankton CountyBest late March · 159 checklists that week, 3,895 in all9.3%
  6. Stanley CountyBest early March · 40 checklists that week, 2,615 in all8.3%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Oahe Downstream Recreation AreaStanley County, best the second week of December · 23 checklists that week, 509 in all25%
  2. Farm IslandHughes County, best mid April · 25 checklists that week, 825 in all18%
  3. Oaha Recreation AreaStanley County, best early May · 20 checklists that week, 247 in all13%
  4. SertomaMinnehaha County, best mid April · 36 checklists that week, 764 in all6.8%
  5. Lake YanktonYankton County, best late January · 22 checklists that week, 250 in all2.9%
  6. Cow Creek Recreation AreaSully County, best late October · 23 checklists that week, 140 in all2.0%

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

Best time of day

In South Dakota, the Red-breasted Merganser is most often listed on checklists started between 8 and 10 am (1.0% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%12 am: too few checklists (49) to judge1 am: too few checklists (44) to judge2 am: too few checklists (33) to judge3 am: too few checklists (59) to judge4 am: too few checklists (227) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1080) to judge6 am: 0.2% of 3387 checklists7 am: 0.2% of 7718 checklists8 am: 1.1% of 10342 checklists9 am: 0.9% of 10758 checklists10 am: 0.9% of 9123 checklists11 am: 0.9% of 7814 checklists12 pm: 0.7% of 6876 checklists1 pm: 0.7% of 6801 checklists2 pm: 0.4% of 6673 checklists3 pm: 0.6% of 6344 checklists4 pm: 0.4% of 6412 checklists5 pm: 0.4% of 5570 checklists6 pm: 0.4% of 4276 checklists7 pm: 0.2% of 3183 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (1499) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (329) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (82) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (42) 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
January1.1%0.9%2.4%2.2%
February1.2%1.5%1.2%1.6%
March1.5%1.2%1.5%2.0%
April2.7%2.6%2.0%1.1%
May0.3%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0%
July0%0.1%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0%0.1%
October0%0%0%0.1%
November0.6%1.5%1.5%1.0%
December1.6%2.4%1.5%0.7%

Neighboring states

  • Nebraska: arrives early November, 1 week earlier than South Dakota
  • North Dakota: arrives mid October, 3 weeks earlier than South Dakota
  • Minnesota: arrives the second week of March, 16 weeks later than South Dakota
  • Iowa: arrives late February, 14 weeks later than South Dakota

Common questions

When do Red-breasted Mergansers arrive in South Dakota?
Red-breasted Mergansers arrive in South Dakota in the second week of November, peak in the second week of April (2.4% of checklists), and most are gone by late April.
When do Red-breasted Mergansers leave South Dakota?
Most Red-breasted Mergansers have left South Dakota by late April, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Red-breasted Merganser in South Dakota?
The Red-breasted Merganser is reported most often in the second week of April, on about 2.4% of South Dakota checklists.
Where in South Dakota are Red-breasted Mergansers seen most often?
By county, Charles Mix County, Edmunds County, and Hamlin County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-breasted Merganser (counties with at least 200 checklists).