WhenToBird

Aix sponsa · Anatidae

When Do Wood Ducks Arrive in North Carolina?

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

Wood Ducks are winter birds in North Carolina: the first arrive in late January, they are common by the second week of February, peak in late March (7.4% of checklists), and most are gone by mid November.

When to look

First arrivalsJan 22-31late January
Common byFeb 8-14the second week of February
PeakMar 22-31late March
Most gone byNov 15-21mid November

Best: late March. First arrivals late January; most are gone by mid November. Peak: on about 7.4% of North Carolina 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: 2.0% of 30085 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.9% of 22728 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.9% of 24292 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.1% of 34122 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.6% of 26352 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.0% of 29663 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.9% of 41515 checklistsFeb 22-28: 5.4% of 24318 checklistsMar 1-7: 6.1% of 23408 checklistsMar 8-14: 7.0% of 22658 checklistsMar 15-21: 7.2% of 22784 checklistsMar 22-31: 7.7% of 36034 checklistsApr 1-7: 7.2% of 28131 checklistsApr 8-14: 6.9% of 29190 checklistsApr 15-21: 6.0% of 32847 checklistsApr 22-30: 5.8% of 47966 checklistsMay 1-7: 5.6% of 37076 checklistsMay 8-14: 5.3% of 36228 checklistsMay 15-21: 4.7% of 30378 checklistsMay 22-31: 3.9% of 40237 checklistsJun 1-7: 3.1% of 27551 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.8% of 26473 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.9% of 22789 checklistsJun 22-30: 3.0% of 27615 checklistsJul 1-7: 3.3% of 20022 checklistsJul 8-14: 3.5% of 19315 checklistsJul 15-21: 3.8% of 18934 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.5% of 25600 checklistsAug 1-7: 3.8% of 17987 checklistsAug 8-14: 3.4% of 17307 checklistsAug 15-21: 3.6% of 17080 checklistsAug 22-31: 4.1% of 25844 checklistsSep 1-7: 3.9% of 20818 checklistsSep 8-14: 3.7% of 20070 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.8% of 21984 checklistsSep 22-30: 3.6% of 26979 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.5% of 22605 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.2% of 22677 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.1% of 21407 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.3% of 25927 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.3% of 18830 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.5% of 18418 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.0% of 19101 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.5% of 25709 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.1% of 18856 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.3% of 18745 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.4% of 22478 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.1% of 34796 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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Gates CountyBest mid March · 61 checklists that week, 4,066 in all70%
  2. Anson CountyBest the second week of February · 24 checklists that week, 2,224 in all44%
  3. Tyrrell CountyBest the second week of March · 59 checklists that week, 2,289 in all43%
  4. Hertford CountyBest late February · 19 checklists that week, 1,343 in all38%
  5. Martin CountyBest late February · 24 checklists that week, 1,719 in all26%
  6. Bladen CountyBest early March · 62 checklists that week, 3,758 in all25%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Bass LakeWatauga County, best late September · 21 checklists that week, 867 in all91%
  2. Lower Janita LakeForsyth County, best late April · 39 checklists that week, 1,378 in all87%
  3. Mecklenburg County Open Space - McAlpine Creek ParkMecklenburg County, best mid April · 56 checklists that week, 1,919 in all78%
  4. The PoolsRutherford County, best early May · 29 checklists that week, 507 in all76%

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

Best time of day

In North Carolina, the Wood Duck is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (7.2% of those checklists).

0%5%10%12 am: too few checklists (520) to judge1 am: too few checklists (489) to judge2 am: too few checklists (442) to judge3 am: too few checklists (544) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1621) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9671) to judge6 am: 8.8% of 50335 checklists7 am: 6.6% of 150152 checklists8 am: 5.3% of 182902 checklists9 am: 3.8% of 158933 checklists10 am: 2.9% of 128398 checklists11 am: 2.4% of 98671 checklists12 pm: 2.2% of 78640 checklists1 pm: 2.3% of 72510 checklists2 pm: 2.4% of 69179 checklists3 pm: 2.6% of 67669 checklists4 pm: 3.0% of 63964 checklists5 pm: 4.0% of 48520 checklists6 pm: 4.2% of 33196 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (19700) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (6160) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1943) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1119) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (651) 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
January2.0%1.9%1.9%2.1%
February2.6%3.0%2.9%5.4%
March6.1%7.0%7.2%7.7%
April7.2%6.9%6.0%5.8%
May5.6%5.3%4.7%3.9%
June3.1%2.8%2.9%3.0%
July3.3%3.5%3.8%3.5%
August3.8%3.4%3.6%4.1%
September3.9%3.7%3.8%3.6%
October3.5%3.2%3.1%3.3%
November3.3%3.5%3.0%2.5%
December2.1%2.3%2.4%2.1%

Neighboring states

Common questions

When do Wood Ducks arrive in North Carolina?
Wood Ducks are winter birds in North Carolina: the first arrive in late January, they are common by the second week of February, peak in late March (7.4% of checklists), and most are gone by mid November.
When do Wood Ducks leave North Carolina?
Most Wood Ducks have left North Carolina by mid November, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late December.
When is the best time to see a Wood Duck in North Carolina?
The Wood Duck is reported most often in late March, on about 7.4% of North Carolina checklists.
Where in North Carolina are Wood Ducks seen most often?
By county, Gates County, Anson County, and Tyrrell County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Wood Duck (counties with at least 200 checklists).