WhenToBird

Aix sponsa · Anatidae

When Do Wood Ducks Arrive in Arkansas?

Adult male Wood Duck
Photo: Andrew Lai, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Wood Ducks are winter birds in Arkansas: the first arrive in early February, they are common by mid February, peak in mid March (6.7% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of November.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 1-7early February
Common byFeb 15-21mid February
PeakMar 15-21mid March
Most gone byNov 8-14the second week of November

Best: mid March. First arrivals early February; most are gone by the second week of November. Peak: on about 6.7% of Arkansas checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 1.9% of 5292 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.6% of 4085 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.9% of 4531 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.5% of 6500 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.0% of 4752 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.3% of 5385 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.8% of 7219 checklistsFeb 22-28: 4.3% of 4163 checklistsMar 1-7: 5.0% of 3952 checklistsMar 8-14: 6.4% of 4067 checklistsMar 15-21: 6.7% of 4446 checklistsMar 22-31: 6.9% of 6911 checklistsApr 1-7: 6.3% of 5422 checklistsApr 8-14: 6.1% of 6043 checklistsApr 15-21: 6.4% of 6759 checklistsApr 22-30: 5.3% of 10236 checklistsMay 1-7: 5.6% of 8243 checklistsMay 8-14: 5.6% of 7467 checklistsMay 15-21: 4.7% of 6160 checklistsMay 22-31: 3.6% of 7287 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.5% of 4884 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.3% of 4444 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.5% of 3579 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.7% of 3858 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.9% of 3042 checklistsJul 8-14: 3.7% of 2889 checklistsJul 15-21: 3.2% of 2599 checklistsJul 22-31: 4.2% of 3825 checklistsAug 1-7: 3.7% of 2951 checklistsAug 8-14: 4.1% of 2765 checklistsAug 15-21: 4.6% of 2838 checklistsAug 22-31: 5.5% of 4360 checklistsSep 1-7: 4.5% of 3573 checklistsSep 8-14: 4.9% of 3314 checklistsSep 15-21: 4.7% of 3118 checklistsSep 22-30: 4.1% of 4381 checklistsOct 1-7: 4.1% of 3640 checklistsOct 8-14: 4.7% of 4119 checklistsOct 15-21: 4.0% of 3810 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.9% of 4956 checklistsNov 1-7: 4.1% of 3704 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.5% of 3678 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.7% of 3457 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.0% of 4648 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.2% of 3390 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.7% of 3510 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.3% of 4540 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.5% of 6404 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 Arkansas 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 Arkansas

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Crittenden CountyBest late September · 15 checklists that week, 1,136 in all41%
  2. Poinsett CountyBest early April · 32 checklists that week, 661 in all36%
  3. Desha CountyBest mid August · 28 checklists that week, 756 in all32%
  4. Greene CountyBest mid March · 43 checklists that week, 1,025 in all31%
  5. Clay CountyBest late April · 49 checklists that week, 871 in all31%
  6. Chicot CountyBest early September · 13 checklists that week, 348 in all29%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lake Sequoyah ParkWashington County, best early September · 43 checklists that week, 1,719 in all65%
  2. Bell Slough (northeast)Faulkner County, best late April · 25 checklists that week, 188 in all55%
  3. Bois d'Arc LakeHempstead County, best late May · 20 checklists that week, 301 in all55%
  4. Lake BentonvilleBenton County, best mid May · 21 checklists that week, 589 in all50%

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

Best time of day

In Arkansas, the Wood Duck is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (7.0% of those checklists).

0%5%10%12 am: too few checklists (98) to judge1 am: too few checklists (88) to judge2 am: too few checklists (95) to judge3 am: too few checklists (94) to judge4 am: too few checklists (145) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1455) to judge6 am: 8.0% of 10807 checklists7 am: 6.6% of 27761 checklists8 am: 4.2% of 30943 checklists9 am: 3.2% of 26975 checklists10 am: 2.9% of 21989 checklists11 am: 2.6% of 16828 checklists12 pm: 2.4% of 14069 checklists1 pm: 2.5% of 13145 checklists2 pm: 2.8% of 12780 checklists3 pm: 3.1% of 12723 checklists4 pm: 3.7% of 12500 checklists5 pm: 4.5% of 9576 checklists6 pm: 5.4% of 7182 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (4187) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (1314) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (245) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (122) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (75) 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
January1.9%1.6%1.9%1.5%
February2.0%2.3%2.8%4.3%
March5.0%6.4%6.7%6.9%
April6.3%6.1%6.4%5.3%
May5.6%5.6%4.7%3.6%
June2.5%2.3%2.5%2.7%
July2.9%3.7%3.2%4.2%
August3.7%4.1%4.6%5.5%
September4.5%4.9%4.7%4.1%
October4.1%4.7%4.0%3.9%
November4.1%3.5%2.7%2.0%
December2.2%1.7%2.3%2.5%

Neighboring states

  • Missouri: arrives the second week of February, 1 week later than Arkansas
  • Oklahoma: arrives late January, 1 week earlier than Arkansas
  • Kansas: arrives mid February, 2 weeks later than Arkansas
  • Mississippi: year-round, peaks late March

Common questions

When do Wood Ducks arrive in Arkansas?
Wood Ducks are winter birds in Arkansas: the first arrive in early February, they are common by mid February, peak in mid March (6.7% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of November.
When do Wood Ducks leave Arkansas?
Most Wood Ducks have left Arkansas by the second week of November, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early January.
When is the best time to see a Wood Duck in Arkansas?
The Wood Duck is reported most often in mid March, on about 6.7% of Arkansas checklists.
Where in Arkansas are Wood Ducks seen most often?
By county, Crittenden County, Poinsett County, and Desha County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Wood Duck (counties with at least 200 checklists).