West · Central Flyway
Ducks in Colorado
Ducks in Colorado come down to 29 species with regular eBird records, led by the Mallard. Together they account for 1,629,911 of the 16 million eBird records from 2020–2024 — 10.0% of everything reported in the state.
The full list: Mallard, Gadwall, Northern Shoveler, Green-winged Teal, American Wigeon, Common Goldeneye, Common Merganser, Bufflehead, Ring-necked Duck, Hooded Merganser, Lesser Scaup, Blue-winged Teal, Redhead, Ruddy Duck, Cinnamon Teal, Wood Duck, Northern Pintail, Canvasback, Red-breasted Merganser, Barrow's Goldeneye, Greater Scaup, Long-tailed Duck, White-winged Scoter, Surf Scoter, Mexican Duck, Black Scoter, Eurasian Wigeon, Muscovy Duck and Black-bellied Whistling-Duck. Ducks divide into dabblers, which tip up in shallow water, and divers, which disappear underwater for their food. Most species breed far to the north and are winter visitors across much of the country, so the best duck-watching is usually from late fall through early spring.
Ducks in Colorado: every species, most-reported first
Every duck with at least 25 eBird records in the state from 2020–2024, most-reported first. The status label is derived from each species’ own monthly share of all state records.
1. Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) — 405,561 records, 2.5% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
2. Gadwall (Mareca strepera) — 146,548 records, 0.9% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from October to May and peaking in March.
3. Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata) — 110,804 records, 0.7% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from October to May and peaking in April.
4. Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca) — 98,872 records, 0.6% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from September to April and peaking in March.
5. American Wigeon (Mareca americana) — 97,070 records, 0.6% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from September to April and peaking in November.
6. Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) — 91,684 records, 0.6% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from November to March and peaking in January.
7. Common Merganser (Mergus merganser) — 87,772 records, 0.5% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from November to April and peaking in January.
8. Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) — 80,471 records, 0.5% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from October to April and peaking in November.
9. Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris) — 75,872 records, 0.5% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from October to April and peaking in January.
10. Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) — 71,846 records, 0.4% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from November to March and peaking in January.
11. Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis) — 57,292 records, 0.4% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from November to April and peaking in March.
12. Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors) — 55,888 records, 0.3% of the state’s eBird total; a passage migrant, reported mainly in April, May, August and September with a peak in April.
The remaining 17 species — Redhead, Ruddy Duck, Cinnamon Teal, Wood Duck, Northern Pintail, Canvasback, Red-breasted Merganser, Barrow's Goldeneye, Greater Scaup, Long-tailed Duck, White-winged Scoter, Surf Scoter, Mexican Duck, Black Scoter, Eurasian Wigeon, Muscovy Duck and Black-bellied Whistling-Duck — are recorded regularly but in smaller numbers; see the cards above for their status.
When to see ducks in Colorado
Adding up every species’ share of state eBird records month by month, ducks are most prominent in March, November and January and least in July and June. 2 of the 29 species are year-round — Mallard and Wood Duck — so there is no month without them.
Winter visitors. Gadwall arrives around October and leaves after May (peak March); Northern Shoveler arrives around October and leaves after May (peak April); Green-winged Teal arrives around September and leaves after April (peak March); American Wigeon arrives around September and leaves after April (peak November); Common Goldeneye arrives around November and leaves after March (peak January); Common Merganser arrives around November and leaves after April (peak January).
Passage migrants. Blue-winged Teal is reported mainly in April, May, August and September; Ruddy Duck is reported mainly in March, April, May and September; Cinnamon Teal is reported mainly in March, April and May; White-winged Scoter is reported mainly in November and December; Surf Scoter is reported mainly in October and November; Black Scoter is reported mainly in November and December.
Attracting ducks to Colorado backyards
Unless you have a pond, ducks are birds to go and see rather than attract. Local reservoirs, sewage ponds, and coastal inlets in winter are where the variety is.
In Colorado the duck most likely to turn up is the Mallard, a year-round resident, followed by the Wood Duck.
Ducks in Colorado: FAQ
How many species of ducks are there in Colorado?
29 species of ducks have regular eBird records in Colorado (at least 25 records in 2020–2024): Mallard, Gadwall, Northern Shoveler, Green-winged Teal, American Wigeon, Common Goldeneye, Common Merganser, Bufflehead, Ring-necked Duck, Hooded Merganser, Lesser Scaup, Blue-winged Teal, Redhead, Ruddy Duck, Cinnamon Teal, Wood Duck, Northern Pintail, Canvasback, Red-breasted Merganser, Barrow's Goldeneye, Greater Scaup, Long-tailed Duck, White-winged Scoter, Surf Scoter, Mexican Duck, Black Scoter, Eurasian Wigeon, Muscovy Duck and Black-bellied Whistling-Duck.
What is the most common duck in Colorado?
The Mallard, with 405,561 eBird records in 2020–2024, followed by the Gadwall with 146,548. It is a year-round resident, reported in every month.
When is the best time to see ducks in Colorado?
March, November and January, when the combined share of Colorado eBird records belonging to ducks is highest. Winter visitors such as the Gadwall arrive around October.
More birds in Colorado
Ducks in other states
Ducks in Colorado: sources
Every number on this page comes from the EOD – eBird Observation Dataset published by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and distributed through GBIF under a CC BY 4.0 license: Colorado records from 2020–2024, retrieved 2026-09-18. Species are drawn from the families Anatidae; only species with at least 25 records are listed, and a species is called a year-round resident when its monthly share of state records stays above 30% of its own peak in ten or more months. “Records” are individual eBird observations, so they reflect how often birders report a species, not a population count.