WhenToBird

Oxyura jamaicensis · Anatidae

When Do Ruddy Ducks Arrive in Nebraska?

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

Ruddy Ducks are winter birds in Nebraska: the first arrive in the second week of September, they are common by mid September, peak in the second week of November (12% of checklists), and most are gone by early January.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 8-14the second week of September
Common bySep 15-21mid September
PeakNov 8-14the second week of November
Most gone byJan 1-7early January

Best: the second week of November. First arrivals the second week of September; most are gone by early January. Peak: on about 12% of Nebraska checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febrare
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Julrare
  8. Augrare
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 1.4% of 4210 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.2% of 2891 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.5% of 2685 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.5% of 3834 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.5% of 2803 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 3134 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.5% of 4508 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.6% of 3238 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.7% of 3862 checklistsMar 8-14: 4.4% of 4894 checklistsMar 15-21: 5.8% of 5862 checklistsMar 22-31: 8.5% of 8598 checklistsApr 1-7: 11% of 5530 checklistsApr 8-14: 9.9% of 5528 checklistsApr 15-21: 11% of 6091 checklistsApr 22-30: 6.9% of 8661 checklistsMay 1-7: 4.1% of 9842 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.4% of 10044 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.9% of 8863 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.6% of 10207 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.2% of 4922 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.0% of 4054 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.4% of 3680 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.9% of 4349 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.8% of 3277 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.9% of 2803 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.8% of 2842 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.0% of 3920 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.7% of 2981 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.6% of 2819 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.6% of 3179 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.5% of 4599 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.8% of 3958 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.7% of 3460 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.7% of 3435 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.9% of 4975 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.0% of 3611 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.3% of 3605 checklistsOct 15-21: 4.6% of 3474 checklistsOct 22-31: 9.2% of 4352 checklistsNov 1-7: 11% of 3119 checklistsNov 8-14: 14% of 2887 checklistsNov 15-21: 8.9% of 2568 checklistsNov 22-30: 6.6% of 3506 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.9% of 2453 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.3% of 2756 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.0% of 3760 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.4% of 3746 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 Nebraska 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 Nebraska

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Dakota CountyBest mid November · 53 checklists that week, 2,182 in all39%
  2. Burt CountyBest the second week of November · 13 checklists that week, 1,011 in all33%
  3. Sherman CountyBest mid October · 18 checklists that week, 399 in all32%
  4. Pierce CountyBest mid April · 21 checklists that week, 516 in all32%
  5. Platte CountyBest the second week of April · 23 checklists that week, 1,287 in all31%
  6. Furnas CountyBest early April · 14 checklists that week, 356 in all30%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Salt Lake (west)Lancaster County, best early November · 35 checklists that week, 805 in all85%
  2. Stagecoach LakeLancaster County, best early November · 32 checklists that week, 937 in all77%
  3. Conestoga LakeLancaster County, best the second week of November · 33 checklists that week, 1,224 in all72%
  4. Holmes LakeLancaster County, best late March · 107 checklists that week, 2,319 in all64%

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

Best time of day

In Nebraska, the Ruddy Duck is most often listed on checklists started between 12 and 2 pm (4.5% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (60) to judge1 am: too few checklists (70) to judge2 am: too few checklists (74) to judge3 am: too few checklists (97) to judge4 am: too few checklists (318) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1382) to judge6 am: 3.0% of 6945 checklists7 am: 2.8% of 19066 checklists8 am: 3.1% of 24661 checklists9 am: 3.9% of 23438 checklists10 am: 4.1% of 20424 checklists11 am: 4.4% of 16727 checklists12 pm: 4.5% of 14774 checklists1 pm: 4.5% of 14443 checklists2 pm: 4.4% of 14830 checklists3 pm: 4.1% of 14445 checklists4 pm: 4.1% of 13353 checklists5 pm: 3.5% of 10506 checklists6 pm: 3.9% of 9208 checklists7 pm: 2.6% of 6334 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2406) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (531) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (201) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (82) 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
January1.4%1.2%0.5%0.5%
February0.5%0.1%0.5%0.6%
March2.7%4.4%5.8%8.5%
April11%9.9%11%6.9%
May4.1%2.4%2.9%2.6%
June2.2%2.0%1.4%0.9%
July0.8%0.9%0.8%1.0%
August0.7%0.6%0.6%0.5%
September0.8%0.7%1.7%1.9%
October2.0%3.3%4.6%9.2%
November11%14%8.9%6.6%
December4.9%2.3%1.0%1.4%

Neighboring states

  • Kansas: arrives late September, 2 weeks later than Nebraska
  • South Dakota: arrives the second week of March, 24 weeks earlier than Nebraska
  • Iowa: arrives late September, 2 weeks later than Nebraska
  • Missouri: arrives the second week of October, 4 weeks later than Nebraska

Common questions

When do Ruddy Ducks arrive in Nebraska?
Ruddy Ducks are winter birds in Nebraska: the first arrive in the second week of September, they are common by mid September, peak in the second week of November (12% of checklists), and most are gone by early January.
When do Ruddy Ducks leave Nebraska?
Most Ruddy Ducks have left Nebraska by early January, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of January.
When is the best time to see a Ruddy Duck in Nebraska?
The Ruddy Duck is reported most often in the second week of November, on about 12% of Nebraska checklists.
Where in Nebraska are Ruddy Ducks seen most often?
By county, Dakota County, Burt County, and Sherman County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Ruddy Duck (counties with at least 200 checklists).