WhenToBird

Aix sponsa · Anatidae

When Do Wood Ducks Arrive in Virginia?

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

Wood Ducks reach Virginia in early February, are common by late February, peak in early April (9.9% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of November.

When to look

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

Best: early April. First arrivals early February; most are gone by the second week of November. Peak: on about 9.9% of Virginia 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%Jan 1-7: 1.7% of 32817 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.6% of 25111 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.4% of 25510 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.7% of 34492 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.0% of 24950 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.3% of 28224 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.7% of 43578 checklistsFeb 22-28: 5.9% of 26467 checklistsMar 1-7: 6.5% of 25851 checklistsMar 8-14: 7.6% of 25901 checklistsMar 15-21: 9.5% of 26747 checklistsMar 22-31: 9.9% of 40819 checklistsApr 1-7: 10% of 31351 checklistsApr 8-14: 9.8% of 33239 checklistsApr 15-21: 8.7% of 37284 checklistsApr 22-30: 8.0% of 54364 checklistsMay 1-7: 6.5% of 47698 checklistsMay 8-14: 5.9% of 46174 checklistsMay 15-21: 5.7% of 36444 checklistsMay 22-31: 5.5% of 43203 checklistsJun 1-7: 4.7% of 28503 checklistsJun 8-14: 4.4% of 25485 checklistsJun 15-21: 4.7% of 23728 checklistsJun 22-30: 4.9% of 28785 checklistsJul 1-7: 5.1% of 22294 checklistsJul 8-14: 5.9% of 20481 checklistsJul 15-21: 6.5% of 18914 checklistsJul 22-31: 6.9% of 26976 checklistsAug 1-7: 6.8% of 19555 checklistsAug 8-14: 6.5% of 18744 checklistsAug 15-21: 6.2% of 18721 checklistsAug 22-31: 6.4% of 28763 checklistsSep 1-7: 6.0% of 23594 checklistsSep 8-14: 5.4% of 22581 checklistsSep 15-21: 5.3% of 23036 checklistsSep 22-30: 5.1% of 29687 checklistsOct 1-7: 4.8% of 24321 checklistsOct 8-14: 5.1% of 23946 checklistsOct 15-21: 4.9% of 22191 checklistsOct 22-31: 5.0% of 30161 checklistsNov 1-7: 4.3% of 21431 checklistsNov 8-14: 4.1% of 22758 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.2% of 19988 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.5% of 27665 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.9% of 19324 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.9% of 20316 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.8% of 25675 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.6% of 38677 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 Virginia 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 Virginia

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Charlotte CountyBest mid September · 21 checklists that week, 1,313 in all34%
  2. Botetourt CountyBest mid October · 166 checklists that week, 12,409 in all31%
  3. Covington CountyBest the second week of April · 14 checklists that week, 217 in all29%
  4. King and Queen CountyBest late March · 42 checklists that week, 1,759 in all26%
  5. Tazewell CountyBest mid September · 68 checklists that week, 4,405 in all25%
  6. Petersburg CountyBest early July · 17 checklists that week, 736 in all23%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Orchard LakeBotetourt County, best the second week of September · 46 checklists that week, 3,316 in all85%
  2. Henricus Historical ParkChesterfield County, best mid January · 111 checklists that week, 3,816 in all82%
  3. Hemlock Overlook Regional ParkFairfax County, best late August · 20 checklists that week, 474 in all80%
  4. Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife RefugeFairfax County, best mid June · 20 checklists that week, 863 in all80%
  5. Huntley Meadows County ParkFairfax County, best early April · 312 checklists that week, 13,839 in all80%

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

Best time of day

In Virginia, the Wood Duck is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (8.9% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (485) to judge1 am: too few checklists (488) to judge2 am: too few checklists (423) to judge3 am: too few checklists (565) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1410) to judge5 am: too few checklists (10265) to judge6 am: 10% of 64788 checklists7 am: 8.4% of 169128 checklists8 am: 6.6% of 180748 checklists9 am: 4.8% of 153462 checklists10 am: 3.8% of 128966 checklists11 am: 3.4% of 104204 checklists12 pm: 3.1% of 91604 checklists1 pm: 3.3% of 85547 checklists2 pm: 3.4% of 82355 checklists3 pm: 3.7% of 82265 checklists4 pm: 4.5% of 76714 checklists5 pm: 6.0% of 56782 checklists6 pm: 5.9% of 40131 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24290) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (7744) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2383) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1122) 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
January1.7%1.6%1.4%1.7%
February2.0%2.3%2.7%5.9%
March6.5%7.6%9.5%9.9%
April10%9.8%8.7%8.0%
May6.5%5.9%5.7%5.5%
June4.7%4.4%4.7%4.9%
July5.1%5.9%6.5%6.9%
August6.8%6.5%6.2%6.4%
September6.0%5.4%5.3%5.1%
October4.8%5.1%4.9%5.0%
November4.3%4.1%3.2%2.5%
December1.9%1.9%1.8%1.6%

Neighboring states

  • District of Columbia: arrives early February, in the same week than Virginia
  • Maryland: arrives early February, in the same week than Virginia
  • West Virginia: arrives early February, in the same week than Virginia
  • Delaware: arrives the second week of February, 1 week later than Virginia

Common questions

When do Wood Ducks arrive in Virginia?
Wood Ducks reach Virginia in early February, are common by late February, peak in early April (9.9% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of November.
When do Wood Ducks leave Virginia?
Most Wood Ducks have left Virginia by the second week of 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 Virginia?
The Wood Duck is reported most often in early April, on about 9.9% of Virginia checklists.
Where in Virginia are Wood Ducks seen most often?
By county, Charlotte County, Botetourt County, and Covington County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Wood Duck (counties with at least 200 checklists).