WhenToBird

Aix sponsa · Anatidae

When Do Wood Ducks Arrive in New York?

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

Wood Ducks reach New York in late February, are common by early March, peak in the second week of April (14% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 22-28late February
Common byMar 1-7early March
PeakApr 8-14the second week of April
Most gone byNov 1-7early November

Best: the second week of April. First arrivals late February; most are gone by early November. Peak: on about 14% of New York checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decrare

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 1.2% of 66410 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.5% of 49310 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.5% of 49919 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.7% of 62513 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.4% of 43526 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.3% of 49753 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.5% of 65147 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.1% of 50173 checklistsMar 1-7: 5.2% of 50325 checklistsMar 8-14: 7.7% of 55371 checklistsMar 15-21: 10% of 56293 checklistsMar 22-31: 13% of 82677 checklistsApr 1-7: 14% of 65295 checklistsApr 8-14: 14% of 73080 checklistsApr 15-21: 14% of 73857 checklistsApr 22-30: 13% of 106093 checklistsMay 1-7: 11% of 102772 checklistsMay 8-14: 9.1% of 110051 checklistsMay 15-21: 8.4% of 94797 checklistsMay 22-31: 7.1% of 101272 checklistsJun 1-7: 6.5% of 59471 checklistsJun 8-14: 6.4% of 55497 checklistsJun 15-21: 6.0% of 51761 checklistsJun 22-30: 5.8% of 59219 checklistsJul 1-7: 6.1% of 48226 checklistsJul 8-14: 6.8% of 42315 checklistsJul 15-21: 7.5% of 40637 checklistsJul 22-31: 8.4% of 57183 checklistsAug 1-7: 9.3% of 40461 checklistsAug 8-14: 9.7% of 39880 checklistsAug 15-21: 10% of 41146 checklistsAug 22-31: 11% of 63381 checklistsSep 1-7: 12% of 48640 checklistsSep 8-14: 11% of 47882 checklistsSep 15-21: 10% of 49063 checklistsSep 22-30: 11% of 57906 checklistsOct 1-7: 11% of 48447 checklistsOct 8-14: 9.8% of 51901 checklistsOct 15-21: 8.5% of 46717 checklistsOct 22-31: 7.4% of 61992 checklistsNov 1-7: 5.8% of 44593 checklistsNov 8-14: 4.1% of 42566 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.1% of 39675 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.4% of 51197 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.9% of 36567 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.6% of 37254 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.2% of 43754 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.1% of 62470 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 New York 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 New York

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Sullivan CountyBest mid April · 674 checklists that week, 28,620 in all45%
  2. Seneca CountyBest early August · 774 checklists that week, 47,387 in all44%
  3. Genesee CountyBest mid September · 222 checklists that week, 17,726 in all41%
  4. Tioga CountyBest the second week of October · 313 checklists that week, 21,713 in all32%
  5. Chenango CountyBest the second week of August · 123 checklists that week, 10,785 in all31%
  6. Kings CountyBest the second week of April · 3835 checklists that week, 134,897 in all31%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Brick Pond Wetland PreserveTioga County, best late September · 23 checklists that week, 907 in all98%
  2. Siscowit ReservoirWestchester County, best mid October · 20 checklists that week, 555 in all97%
  3. Barrett PondPutnam County, best early September · 26 checklists that week, 391 in all96%
  4. Genesee Valley Greenway State Park (Van Der Linden Pond)Allegany County, best late March · 21 checklists that week, 153 in all96%

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

Best time of day

In New York, the Wood Duck is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (9.9% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (1146) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1055) to judge2 am: too few checklists (1121) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1353) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4785) to judge5 am: too few checklists (32052) to judge6 am: 11% of 124869 checklists7 am: 9.2% of 298506 checklists8 am: 8.4% of 337334 checklists9 am: 7.4% of 307787 checklists10 am: 6.5% of 270801 checklists11 am: 6.0% of 233238 checklists12 pm: 5.6% of 213830 checklists1 pm: 5.7% of 193321 checklists2 pm: 6.0% of 180741 checklists3 pm: 6.5% of 170348 checklists4 pm: 7.2% of 147224 checklists5 pm: 9.5% of 111962 checklists6 pm: 9.8% of 78261 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (44425) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (15648) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4795) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2454) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1378) 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%1.5%1.5%1.7%
February1.4%1.3%1.5%3.1%
March5.2%7.7%10%13%
April14%14%14%13%
May11%9.1%8.4%7.1%
June6.5%6.4%6.0%5.8%
July6.1%6.8%7.5%8.4%
August9.3%9.7%10%11%
September12%11%10%11%
October11%9.8%8.5%7.4%
November5.8%4.1%3.1%2.4%
December1.9%1.6%1.2%1.1%

Neighboring states

  • Connecticut: arrives mid February, 1 week earlier than New York
  • New Jersey: arrives late January, 4 weeks earlier than New York
  • Pennsylvania: arrives mid February, 1 week earlier than New York
  • Vermont: arrives early March, 1 week later than New York

Common questions

When do Wood Ducks arrive in New York?
Wood Ducks reach New York in late February, are common by early March, peak in the second week of April (14% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.
When do Wood Ducks leave New York?
Most Wood Ducks have left New York by early November, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late November.
When is the best time to see a Wood Duck in New York?
The Wood Duck is reported most often in the second week of April, on about 14% of New York checklists.
Where in New York are Wood Ducks seen most often?
By county, Sullivan County, Seneca County, and Genesee County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Wood Duck (counties with at least 200 checklists).