WhenToBird

Aix sponsa · Anatidae

When Do Wood Ducks Arrive in Kentucky?

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

Wood Ducks are winter birds in Kentucky: the first arrive in the second week of February, they are common by late February, peak in late March (10% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 8-14the second week of February
Common byFeb 22-28late February
PeakMar 22-31late March
Most gone byNov 1-7early November

Best: late March. First arrivals the second week of February; most are gone by early November. Peak: on about 10% of Kentucky checklists.

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

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 1.2% of 6923 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.7% of 4900 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.7% of 5016 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.4% of 6611 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.9% of 4986 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.1% of 5677 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.6% of 8880 checklistsFeb 22-28: 5.4% of 5567 checklistsMar 1-7: 6.2% of 5397 checklistsMar 8-14: 8.9% of 5462 checklistsMar 15-21: 9.8% of 5733 checklistsMar 22-31: 10% of 9043 checklistsApr 1-7: 10% of 6763 checklistsApr 8-14: 9.2% of 7498 checklistsApr 15-21: 8.8% of 8486 checklistsApr 22-30: 7.5% of 13396 checklistsMay 1-7: 7.6% of 10825 checklistsMay 8-14: 6.6% of 11495 checklistsMay 15-21: 6.0% of 7363 checklistsMay 22-31: 5.9% of 8800 checklistsJun 1-7: 4.9% of 5381 checklistsJun 8-14: 4.5% of 5244 checklistsJun 15-21: 4.9% of 4730 checklistsJun 22-30: 4.6% of 5470 checklistsJul 1-7: 4.8% of 4567 checklistsJul 8-14: 5.5% of 4287 checklistsJul 15-21: 6.2% of 4097 checklistsJul 22-31: 6.4% of 6044 checklistsAug 1-7: 6.8% of 4647 checklistsAug 8-14: 6.5% of 4256 checklistsAug 15-21: 6.8% of 4484 checklistsAug 22-31: 6.9% of 6434 checklistsSep 1-7: 7.6% of 5450 checklistsSep 8-14: 5.8% of 5157 checklistsSep 15-21: 5.4% of 5530 checklistsSep 22-30: 5.2% of 6710 checklistsOct 1-7: 4.2% of 5403 checklistsOct 8-14: 4.6% of 5943 checklistsOct 15-21: 4.5% of 4873 checklistsOct 22-31: 4.7% of 6584 checklistsNov 1-7: 4.3% of 5008 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.8% of 4677 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.5% of 4419 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.4% of 5933 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.7% of 4479 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.5% of 4687 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.5% of 6239 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.5% of 7976 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 Kentucky 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 Kentucky

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Metcalfe CountyBest early August · 17 checklists that week, 798 in all67%
  2. Union CountyBest the second week of March · 21 checklists that week, 747 in all56%
  3. Laurel CountyBest late March · 74 checklists that week, 2,214 in all47%
  4. Ballard CountyBest the second week of October · 10 checklists that week, 513 in all41%
  5. Wayne CountyBest late July · 25 checklists that week, 942 in all39%
  6. Hart CountyBest early November · 30 checklists that week, 2,263 in all38%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Putney Pond and WoodlandsJefferson County, best the second week of May · 48 checklists that week, 1,412 in all76%
  2. Willow LakeJefferson County, best late June · 28 checklists that week, 1,890 in all76%
  3. Henderson County Preserve 01Henderson County, best early October · 26 checklists that week, 955 in all72%
  4. Hardy Slough PondHenderson County, best late March · 57 checklists that week, 915 in all69%
  5. AJ Jolly Park and Golf CourseCampbell County, best early April · 25 checklists that week, 499 in all60%

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

Best time of day

In Kentucky, the Wood Duck is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (9.5% of those checklists).

0%5%10%12 am: too few checklists (140) to judge1 am: too few checklists (120) to judge2 am: too few checklists (88) to judge3 am: too few checklists (95) to judge4 am: too few checklists (151) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1289) to judge6 am: 9.9% of 8227 checklists7 am: 9.4% of 24608 checklists8 am: 6.8% of 36577 checklists9 am: 5.1% of 34626 checklists10 am: 4.4% of 28796 checklists11 am: 4.1% of 22781 checklists12 pm: 3.7% of 19848 checklists1 pm: 3.6% of 19369 checklists2 pm: 3.9% of 19367 checklists3 pm: 4.0% of 19618 checklists4 pm: 5.1% of 19464 checklists5 pm: 5.6% of 16639 checklists6 pm: 5.9% of 12714 checklists7 pm: 4.9% of 8457 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (3447) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (684) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (267) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (158) 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
January1.2%1.7%1.7%1.4%
February1.9%2.1%2.6%5.4%
March6.2%8.9%9.8%10%
April10%9.2%8.8%7.5%
May7.6%6.6%6.0%5.9%
June4.9%4.5%4.9%4.6%
July4.8%5.5%6.2%6.4%
August6.8%6.5%6.8%6.9%
September7.6%5.8%5.4%5.2%
October4.2%4.6%4.5%4.7%
November4.3%3.8%2.5%2.4%
December1.7%1.5%1.5%1.5%

Neighboring states

  • Tennessee: arrives early February, 1 week earlier than Kentucky
  • Indiana: arrives mid February, 1 week later than Kentucky
  • Ohio: arrives mid February, 1 week later than Kentucky
  • Illinois: arrives mid February, 1 week later than Kentucky

Common questions

When do Wood Ducks arrive in Kentucky?
Wood Ducks are winter birds in Kentucky: the first arrive in the second week of February, they are common by late February, peak in late March (10% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.
When do Wood Ducks leave Kentucky?
Most Wood Ducks have left Kentucky by early November, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early December.
When is the best time to see a Wood Duck in Kentucky?
The Wood Duck is reported most often in late March, on about 10% of Kentucky checklists.
Where in Kentucky are Wood Ducks seen most often?
By county, Metcalfe County, Union County, and Laurel County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Wood Duck (counties with at least 200 checklists).