WhenToBird

Aix sponsa · Anatidae

When Do Wood Ducks Arrive in West Virginia?

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

Wood Ducks reach West Virginia in early February, are common by early March, peak in early April (12% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of November.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 1-7early February
Common byMar 1-7early March
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 12% of West Virginia checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 0.8% of 4227 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.6% of 3147 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.8% of 3410 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.1% of 4248 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.7% of 3150 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.4% of 3653 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.0% of 5140 checklistsFeb 22-28: 4.1% of 3846 checklistsMar 1-7: 6.4% of 3901 checklistsMar 8-14: 9.4% of 3820 checklistsMar 15-21: 11% of 3781 checklistsMar 22-31: 11% of 5705 checklistsApr 1-7: 12% of 4529 checklistsApr 8-14: 12% of 4935 checklistsApr 15-21: 11% of 5429 checklistsApr 22-30: 9.0% of 8015 checklistsMay 1-7: 8.0% of 7421 checklistsMay 8-14: 6.5% of 6910 checklistsMay 15-21: 6.4% of 5596 checklistsMay 22-31: 6.1% of 6884 checklistsJun 1-7: 5.2% of 4123 checklistsJun 8-14: 5.2% of 3957 checklistsJun 15-21: 4.6% of 3863 checklistsJun 22-30: 5.3% of 4217 checklistsJul 1-7: 5.6% of 3491 checklistsJul 8-14: 6.0% of 3044 checklistsJul 15-21: 8.1% of 3095 checklistsJul 22-31: 9.3% of 4120 checklistsAug 1-7: 10% of 3009 checklistsAug 8-14: 11% of 3007 checklistsAug 15-21: 10% of 2905 checklistsAug 22-31: 10% of 4312 checklistsSep 1-7: 9.4% of 3429 checklistsSep 8-14: 9.0% of 3217 checklistsSep 15-21: 9.1% of 3285 checklistsSep 22-30: 8.9% of 4067 checklistsOct 1-7: 7.9% of 3380 checklistsOct 8-14: 7.6% of 3460 checklistsOct 15-21: 6.8% of 3129 checklistsOct 22-31: 7.7% of 3881 checklistsNov 1-7: 6.6% of 3084 checklistsNov 8-14: 5.6% of 2869 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.2% of 2484 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.1% of 3663 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.4% of 2574 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.7% of 2680 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.6% of 3792 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.1% of 4236 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 West 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 West Virginia

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Marion CountyBest the second week of August · 68 checklists that week, 5,628 in all64%
  2. Barbour CountyBest the second week of September · 28 checklists that week, 1,534 in all46%
  3. Tyler CountyBest late May · 28 checklists that week, 214 in all36%
  4. Pleasants CountyBest the second week of March · 60 checklists that week, 1,671 in all31%
  5. Hardy CountyBest early November · 72 checklists that week, 4,765 in all29%
  6. Cabell CountyBest mid March · 104 checklists that week, 4,032 in all28%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Pricketts Fort State ParkMarion County, best early August · 51 checklists that week, 2,639 in all96%
  2. Fairfax Pond / Rehe Wildlife Management AreaPreston County, best late July · 22 checklists that week, 1,150 in all81%
  3. Johnson T. Janes Nature Preserve and Conservation ParkWood County, best late April · 25 checklists that week, 339 in all80%
  4. Green Bottom Wildlife Management AreaCabell County, best the second week of April · 24 checklists that week, 430 in all69%
  5. Dam Site Seven ParkGrant County, best late June · 28 checklists that week, 383 in all66%

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

Best time of day

In West Virginia, the Wood Duck is most often listed on checklists started between 8 and 10 am (7.5% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%12 am: too few checklists (65) to judge1 am: too few checklists (47) to judge2 am: too few checklists (46) to judge3 am: too few checklists (49) to judge4 am: too few checklists (140) to judge5 am: too few checklists (952) to judge6 am: 7.8% of 5860 checklists7 am: 7.0% of 18233 checklists8 am: 7.8% of 24468 checklists9 am: 7.1% of 22542 checklists10 am: 6.9% of 19537 checklists11 am: 6.3% of 16362 checklists12 pm: 5.3% of 14819 checklists1 pm: 5.5% of 12772 checklists2 pm: 5.4% of 11765 checklists3 pm: 5.9% of 12579 checklists4 pm: 5.9% of 11463 checklists5 pm: 7.4% of 9409 checklists6 pm: 7.3% of 6557 checklists7 pm: 5.6% of 4256 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (1589) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (377) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (147) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (86) 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
January0.8%0.6%0.8%1.1%
February0.7%1.4%2.0%4.1%
March6.4%9.4%11%11%
April12%12%11%9.0%
May8.0%6.5%6.4%6.1%
June5.2%5.2%4.6%5.3%
July5.6%6.0%8.1%9.3%
August10%11%10%10%
September9.4%9.0%9.1%8.9%
October7.9%7.6%6.8%7.7%
November6.6%5.6%3.2%3.1%
December2.4%1.7%1.6%1.1%

Neighboring states

  • Virginia: arrives early February, in the same week than West Virginia
  • District of Columbia: arrives early February, in the same week than West Virginia
  • Maryland: arrives early February, in the same week than West Virginia
  • Ohio: arrives mid February, 2 weeks later than West Virginia

Common questions

When do Wood Ducks arrive in West Virginia?
Wood Ducks reach West Virginia in early February, are common by early March, peak in early April (12% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of November.
When do Wood Ducks leave West Virginia?
Most Wood Ducks have left West Virginia by the second week of 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 West Virginia?
The Wood Duck is reported most often in early April, on about 12% of West Virginia checklists.
Where in West Virginia are Wood Ducks seen most often?
By county, Marion County, Barbour County, and Tyler County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Wood Duck (counties with at least 200 checklists).