West · Pacific Flyway
Ducks in Oregon
Ducks in Oregon come down to 32 species with regular eBird records, led by the Mallard. Together they account for 1,558,591 of the 17 million eBird records from 2020–2024 — 9.3% of everything reported in the state.
The full list: Mallard, Bufflehead, Gadwall, Northern Shoveler, Green-winged Teal, American Wigeon, Ring-necked Duck, Northern Pintail, Common Merganser, Wood Duck, Hooded Merganser, Lesser Scaup, Ruddy Duck, Cinnamon Teal, Surf Scoter, Common Goldeneye, Canvasback, Redhead, Greater Scaup, Red-breasted Merganser, Harlequin Duck, White-winged Scoter, Barrow's Goldeneye, Blue-winged Teal, Eurasian Wigeon, Black Scoter, Long-tailed Duck, Muscovy Duck, Mandarin Duck, Tufted Duck, King Eider and Common Eider. 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 Oregon: 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) — 333,642 records, 2.0% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
2. Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) — 129,018 records, 0.8% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from November to April and peaking in January.
3. Gadwall (Mareca strepera) — 105,432 records, 0.6% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
4. Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata) — 103,523 records, 0.6% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
5. Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca) — 101,969 records, 0.6% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from August to April and peaking in March.
6. American Wigeon (Mareca americana) — 97,977 records, 0.6% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from September to April and peaking in January.
7. Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris) — 90,587 records, 0.5% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from October to April and peaking in February.
8. Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) — 69,705 records, 0.4% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from August to April and peaking in January.
9. Common Merganser (Mergus merganser) — 69,365 records, 0.4% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from September to April and peaking in January.
10. Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) — 64,393 records, 0.4% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
11. Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) — 57,511 records, 0.3% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from October to April and peaking in January.
12. Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis) — 51,525 records, 0.3% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from October to April and peaking in February.
The remaining 20 species — Ruddy Duck, Cinnamon Teal, Surf Scoter, Common Goldeneye, Canvasback, Redhead, Greater Scaup, Red-breasted Merganser, Harlequin Duck, White-winged Scoter, Barrow's Goldeneye, Blue-winged Teal, Eurasian Wigeon, Black Scoter, Long-tailed Duck, Muscovy Duck, Mandarin Duck, Tufted Duck, King Eider and Common Eider — are recorded regularly but in smaller numbers; see the cards above for their status.
When to see ducks in Oregon
Adding up every species’ share of state eBird records month by month, ducks are most prominent in January, February and March and least in July and June. 8 of the 32 species are year-round — Mallard, Gadwall, Northern Shoveler, Wood Duck, Surf Scoter and Harlequin Duck and 2 more — so there is no month without them.
Summer visitors. Cinnamon Teal arrives around March and is mostly gone after September (peak May); Blue-winged Teal arrives around May and is mostly gone after September (peak May).
Winter visitors. Bufflehead arrives around November and leaves after April (peak January); Green-winged Teal arrives around August and leaves after April (peak March); American Wigeon arrives around September and leaves after April (peak January); Ring-necked Duck arrives around October and leaves after April (peak February); Northern Pintail arrives around August and leaves after April (peak January); Common Merganser arrives around September and leaves after April (peak January).
Passage migrants. Redhead is reported mainly in January, February, March and April; Tufted Duck is reported mainly in January, February and November; King Eider is reported mainly in October and November; Common Eider is reported mainly in January, February and March.
Attracting ducks to Oregon 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 Oregon the duck most likely to turn up is the Mallard, a year-round resident, followed by the Gadwall.
Ducks in Oregon: FAQ
How many species of ducks are there in Oregon?
32 species of ducks have regular eBird records in Oregon (at least 25 records in 2020–2024): Mallard, Bufflehead, Gadwall, Northern Shoveler, Green-winged Teal, American Wigeon, Ring-necked Duck, Northern Pintail, Common Merganser, Wood Duck, Hooded Merganser, Lesser Scaup, Ruddy Duck, Cinnamon Teal, Surf Scoter, Common Goldeneye, Canvasback, Redhead, Greater Scaup, Red-breasted Merganser, Harlequin Duck, White-winged Scoter, Barrow's Goldeneye, Blue-winged Teal, Eurasian Wigeon, Black Scoter, Long-tailed Duck, Muscovy Duck, Mandarin Duck, Tufted Duck, King Eider and Common Eider.
What is the most common duck in Oregon?
The Mallard, with 333,642 eBird records in 2020–2024, followed by the Bufflehead with 129,018. It is a year-round resident, reported in every month.
When is the best time to see ducks in Oregon?
January, February and March, when the combined share of Oregon eBird records belonging to ducks is highest. Summer visitors such as the Cinnamon Teal arrive around March. Winter visitors such as the Bufflehead arrive around November.
More birds in Oregon
Ducks in other states
Ducks in Oregon: 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: Oregon 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.