WhenToBird

Oxyura jamaicensis · Anatidae

When Do Ruddy Ducks Arrive in Kansas?

Adult male Ruddy Duck
Photo: Anne Parsons, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Ruddy Ducks are winter birds in Kansas: the first arrive in late September, they are common by early October, peak in early November (9.0% of checklists), and most are gone by mid May.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 22-30late September
Common byOct 1-7early October
PeakNov 1-7early November
Most gone byMay 15-21mid May

Best: early November. First arrivals late September; most are gone by mid May. Peak: on about 9.0% of Kansas checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Julrare
  8. Augrare
  9. Seprare
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 2.1% of 8683 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.3% of 5710 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.1% of 5453 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.6% of 7868 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.5% of 5579 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.6% of 6307 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.4% of 7830 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.0% of 6124 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.0% of 6442 checklistsMar 8-14: 4.9% of 6925 checklistsMar 15-21: 6.5% of 7257 checklistsMar 22-31: 9.6% of 11527 checklistsApr 1-7: 9.2% of 8908 checklistsApr 8-14: 7.2% of 11070 checklistsApr 15-21: 5.5% of 11050 checklistsApr 22-30: 3.8% of 16381 checklistsMay 1-7: 3.1% of 15899 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.2% of 15349 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.7% of 10474 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.9% of 11264 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.9% of 6783 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.0% of 5654 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.8% of 4716 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.6% of 6232 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.9% of 5073 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.7% of 4528 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.5% of 4210 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.9% of 5986 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.7% of 4661 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.6% of 4762 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.4% of 4823 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.4% of 7214 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.6% of 5989 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.7% of 5549 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.8% of 5255 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.2% of 7370 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.4% of 5829 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.8% of 6183 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.9% of 5504 checklistsOct 22-31: 8.0% of 7289 checklistsNov 1-7: 9.2% of 5535 checklistsNov 8-14: 10% of 5462 checklistsNov 15-21: 7.0% of 4929 checklistsNov 22-30: 5.6% of 6627 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.1% of 4670 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.9% of 4805 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.9% of 6341 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.9% of 8186 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 Kansas 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 Kansas

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Rooks CountyBest the second week of April · 30 checklists that week, 514 in all54%
  2. Hodgeman CountyBest late October · 13 checklists that week, 670 in all52%
  3. Neosho CountyBest early November · 42 checklists that week, 2,366 in all45%
  4. Rawlins CountyBest the second week of April · 24 checklists that week, 522 in all40%
  5. Grant CountyBest mid April · 13 checklists that week, 344 in all39%
  6. Stafford CountyBest late March · 241 checklists that week, 6,839 in all38%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Melvern Recreation AreaOsage County, best late March · 22 checklists that week, 493 in all87%
  2. Quivira National Wildlife Refuge (southwest)Stafford County, best late April · 25 checklists that week, 384 in all78%
  3. Pool 1ABarton County, best the second week of April · 28 checklists that week, 542 in all71%
  4. Quivira National Wildlife RefugeStafford County, best late March · 31 checklists that week, 1,247 in all68%
  5. Lake ParsonsNeosho County, best the second week of November · 20 checklists that week, 562 in all65%

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

Best time of day

In Kansas, the Ruddy Duck is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (4.2% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (150) to judge1 am: too few checklists (119) to judge2 am: too few checklists (97) to judge3 am: too few checklists (94) to judge4 am: too few checklists (124) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1459) to judge6 am: 1.6% of 12550 checklists7 am: 2.3% of 34128 checklists8 am: 2.5% of 45960 checklists9 am: 3.2% of 37806 checklists10 am: 3.7% of 32102 checklists11 am: 4.2% of 25896 checklists12 pm: 3.9% of 24203 checklists1 pm: 4.1% of 20269 checklists2 pm: 4.3% of 20772 checklists3 pm: 3.9% of 20978 checklists4 pm: 4.1% of 22094 checklists5 pm: 3.7% of 17739 checklists6 pm: 2.8% of 13963 checklists7 pm: 1.9% of 10110 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (4188) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (968) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (325) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (171) 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
January2.1%2.3%2.1%1.6%
February1.5%1.6%1.4%2.0%
March3.0%4.9%6.5%9.6%
April9.2%7.2%5.5%3.8%
May3.1%2.2%1.7%1.9%
June0.9%1.0%0.8%0.6%
July0.9%0.7%0.5%0.9%
August0.7%0.6%0.4%0.4%
September0.6%0.7%0.8%1.2%
October1.4%2.8%3.9%8.0%
November9.2%10%7.0%5.6%
December4.1%2.9%1.9%1.9%

Neighboring states

  • Nebraska: arrives the second week of September, 2 weeks earlier than Kansas
  • Oklahoma: arrives early October, 1 week later than Kansas
  • Missouri: arrives the second week of October, 2 weeks later than Kansas
  • Arkansas: arrives mid October, 3 weeks later than Kansas

Common questions

When do Ruddy Ducks arrive in Kansas?
Ruddy Ducks are winter birds in Kansas: the first arrive in late September, they are common by early October, peak in early November (9.0% of checklists), and most are gone by mid May.
When do Ruddy Ducks leave Kansas?
Most Ruddy Ducks have left Kansas by mid May, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early June.
When is the best time to see a Ruddy Duck in Kansas?
The Ruddy Duck is reported most often in early November, on about 9.0% of Kansas checklists.
Where in Kansas are Ruddy Ducks seen most often?
By county, Rooks County, Hodgeman County, and Neosho County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Ruddy Duck (counties with at least 200 checklists).