Best Time to See Mallards in the US
April, May and March is the best time to see mallards in the United States. This is a national picture built from 399,384 verified iNaturalist observations across 50 states, showing when and where mallards are most active.
By Tim, founder of Easy Street Markets. I maintain the wildlife database and verify every animal and source myself.
399,384 verified observations of mallards in the US, recorded across 12 months of the year on iNaturalist.
When mallards are recorded in the US
Peak month
April
70,412 records (17.6% of the year)
| Month | Observations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| January | 25,994 | 6.5% |
| February | 29,926 | 7.5% |
| Marchpeak | 44,402 | 11.1% |
| Aprilpeak | 70,412 | 17.6% |
| Maypeak | 51,630 | 12.9% |
| June | 33,086 | 8.3% |
| July | 25,678 | 6.4% |
| August | 21,103 | 5.3% |
| September | 23,914 | 6% |
| October | 23,145 | 5.8% |
| November | 24,870 | 6.2% |
| December | 25,224 | 6.3% |
Mallards you are most likely to see
| Species | Verified observations |
|---|---|
| Mallard | 399,384 |
Across the country, mallards sightings peak in April, when 70,412 of the 399,384 annual observations are logged, about 17.6% of the national total. Nationwide activity stays high through April, May and March.
The best states to see mallards by recorded sightings are California (91,243), Texas (41,160), Washington (21,981), New York (18,011) and Illinois (15,573). Each state page below breaks the year down month by month for that state.
The mallards you are most likely to encounter nationwide are Mallard, the most-recorded species across all states combined.
Best states to see mallards
- mallards in California91,243 sightings, peak April
- mallards in Texas41,160 sightings, peak April
- mallards in Washington21,981 sightings, peak April
- mallards in New York18,011 sightings, peak April
- mallards in Illinois15,573 sightings, peak April
- mallards in Massachusetts14,934 sightings, peak April
- mallards in Oregon13,146 sightings, peak April
- mallards in Ohio12,234 sightings, peak April
- mallards in Virginia11,626 sightings, peak April
- mallards in Pennsylvania11,290 sightings, peak April
- mallards in Maryland10,696 sightings, peak April
- mallards in Minnesota9,952 sightings, peak April
- mallards in Colorado9,298 sightings, peak April
- mallards in Arizona8,586 sightings, peak April
- mallards in Michigan8,489 sightings, peak April
Most-recorded mallards species nationwide
- Mallard399,384 records
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time to see mallards in the US?+
April is the single best month nationwide, with the broader peak running through April, May and March, based on 399,384 verified observations across 50 states.
Which states are best for seeing mallards?+
By recorded sightings, the top states are California, Texas and Washington. California leads with 91,243 verified observations.
How many mallards sightings are recorded in the US each year?+
About 399,384 verified mallards observations are logged on iNaturalist across 50 states with enough data to chart a seasonal pattern.
What kinds of mallards live in the US?+
The most-recorded species nationwide are Mallard, based on all-time iNaturalist counts.