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Birds that migrate through Ohio — waterfowl

1 of the 9 on this chart is moving through Ohio today, 22 August.

  • Blue-winged Tealsouthbound, peaks 5 September
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Waterfowl Tundra Swan ↓Cygnus columbianus · Breeds: Arctic coastal tundra · Winters: Chesapeake Bay and the mid-AtlanticSpring passage — peak Mar 12Fall passage — peak Nov 15 Snow GooseAnser caerulescens · Breeds: Arctic Canada · Winters: Gulf coast and the Mississippi valleySpring passage — peak Mar 5Fall passage — peak Nov 10 Blue-winged Teal ↓Spatula discors · Breeds: prairie potholes, and locally in Ohio marshes · Winters: the Gulf coast south to PeruOn territory in OhioSpring passage — peak Apr 12Fall passage — peak Sep 5 Northern PintailAnas acuta · Breeds: prairie and Arctic Canada · Winters: Gulf coast and MexicoSpring passage — peak Mar 15Fall passage — peak Oct 15 Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeata · Breeds: prairie potholes · Winters: the Gulf states and MexicoSpring passage — peak Mar 28Fall passage — peak Oct 20 CanvasbackAythya valisineria · Breeds: prairie potholes · Winters: the mid-Atlantic and Gulf coastsSpring passage — peak Mar 10Fall passage — peak Nov 20 RedheadAythya americana · Breeds: prairie potholes · Winters: the Gulf coast, especially the Laguna MadreSpring passage — peak Mar 15Fall passage — peak Nov 15 Red-breasted Merganser ↓Mergus serrator · Breeds: boreal and Arctic Canada · Winters: the Atlantic and Gulf coastsSpring passage — peak Apr 5Fall passage — peak Nov 20 Common GoldeneyeBucephala clangula · Breeds: the boreal forest · Winters: Lake Erie and the open rivers of OhioPresent in Ohio through the winterPresent in Ohio through the winterSpring passage — peak Mar 25Fall passage — peak Nov 20
NorthboundPresent in OhioSouthboundWintering in OhioToday↓ marks a species that winters off the bottom of the map. Hover a name for where it breeds and where it goes.

Ducks, geese and swans are the first passage of the year and the last, and they are the only guild on the bird chart that moves on ice rather than on daylight. The flight follows the thaw north in February and the freeze south in November, which is why waterfowl are the one group whose timing shifts by a fortnight between a mild year and a hard one.

Why this group has its own gauge

It holds its own seat because it peaks in the third week of February, six weeks before anything else on the chart is moving at all. The chart above carries 9 species, sliced out of the full 67-row bird chart.

The rows on this chart
Species Northbound Southbound Winters
Tundra Swan 20 February – 31 March 25 October – 10 December Chesapeake Bay and the mid-Atlantic
Snow Goose 15 February – 25 March 20 October – 5 December Gulf coast and the Mississippi valley
Blue-winged Teal 15 March – 5 May 5 August – 15 October the Gulf coast south to Peru
Northern Pintail 15 February – 10 April 10 September – 20 November Gulf coast and Mexico
Northern Shoveler 1 March – 25 April 15 September – 25 November the Gulf states and Mexico
Canvasback 20 February – 1 April 20 October – 15 December the mid-Atlantic and Gulf coasts
Redhead 25 February – 5 April 15 October – 10 December the Gulf coast, especially the Laguna Madre
Red-breasted Merganser 5 March – 5 May 25 October – 15 December the Atlantic and Gulf coasts
Common Goldeneye 10 March – 10 April 1 November – 10 December Lake Erie and the open rivers of Ohio

Where this sits

The full picture is on Ohio bird migration, which carries every group on one chart. Each mark on the breadcrumb strip at the top of the site links to the page for its own group.