South · Mississippi Flyway
Ducks in Tennessee
Ducks in Tennessee come down to 28 species with regular eBird records, led by the Mallard. Together they account for 287,167 of the 8.7 million eBird records from 2020–2024 — 3.3% of everything reported in the state.
The full list: Mallard, Wood Duck, Gadwall, Blue-winged Teal, Bufflehead, Ring-necked Duck, Northern Shoveler, Hooded Merganser, Green-winged Teal, Lesser Scaup, Ruddy Duck, American Wigeon, Northern Pintail, Redhead, Common Goldeneye, Canvasback, American Black Duck, Red-breasted Merganser, Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Muscovy Duck, Greater Scaup, Common Merganser, Long-tailed Duck, White-winged Scoter, Surf Scoter, Black Scoter, Fulvous Whistling-Duck and Cinnamon Teal. 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 Tennessee: 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) — 90,368 records, 1.0% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
2. Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) — 39,158 records, 0.4% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
3. Gadwall (Mareca strepera) — 20,238 records, 0.2% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from November to March and peaking in January.
4. Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors) — 15,546 records, 0.2% of the state’s eBird total; a passage migrant, reported mainly in March, April, May and September with a peak in April.
5. Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) — 15,140 records, 0.2% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from November to March and peaking in January.
6. Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris) — 15,111 records, 0.2% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from November to March and peaking in January.
7. Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata) — 13,329 records, 0.2% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from October to March and peaking in January.
8. Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) — 11,236 records, 0.1% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from November to March and peaking in January.
9. Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca) — 9,986 records, 0.1% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from October to March and peaking in November.
10. Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis) — 9,319 records, 0.1% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from November to March and peaking in February.
11. Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis) — 7,997 records, 0.09% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from November to March and peaking in November.
12. American Wigeon (Mareca americana) — 6,810 records, 0.08% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from October to March and peaking in January.
The remaining 16 species — Northern Pintail, Redhead, Common Goldeneye, Canvasback, American Black Duck, Red-breasted Merganser, Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Muscovy Duck, Greater Scaup, Common Merganser, Long-tailed Duck, White-winged Scoter, Surf Scoter, Black Scoter, Fulvous Whistling-Duck and Cinnamon Teal — are recorded regularly but in smaller numbers; see the cards above for their status.
When to see ducks in Tennessee
Adding up every species’ share of state eBird records month by month, ducks are most prominent in January, February and December and least in June and July. 3 of the 28 species are year-round — Mallard, Wood Duck and Muscovy Duck — so there is no month without them.
Summer visitors. Black-bellied Whistling-Duck arrives around April and is mostly gone after September (peak August).
Winter visitors. Gadwall arrives around November and leaves after March (peak January); Bufflehead arrives around November and leaves after March (peak January); Ring-necked Duck arrives around November and leaves after March (peak January); Northern Shoveler arrives around October and leaves after March (peak January); Hooded Merganser arrives around November and leaves after March (peak January); Green-winged Teal arrives around October and leaves after March (peak November).
Passage migrants. Blue-winged Teal is reported mainly in March, April, May and September; White-winged Scoter is reported mainly in January, February, March and November; Black Scoter is reported mainly in November and December; Fulvous Whistling-Duck is reported mainly in April, May and July; Cinnamon Teal is reported mainly in March, April and November.
Attracting ducks to Tennessee 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 Tennessee the duck most likely to turn up is the Mallard, a year-round resident, followed by the Wood Duck.
Ducks in Tennessee: FAQ
How many species of ducks are there in Tennessee?
28 species of ducks have regular eBird records in Tennessee (at least 25 records in 2020–2024): Mallard, Wood Duck, Gadwall, Blue-winged Teal, Bufflehead, Ring-necked Duck, Northern Shoveler, Hooded Merganser, Green-winged Teal, Lesser Scaup, Ruddy Duck, American Wigeon, Northern Pintail, Redhead, Common Goldeneye, Canvasback, American Black Duck, Red-breasted Merganser, Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Muscovy Duck, Greater Scaup, Common Merganser, Long-tailed Duck, White-winged Scoter, Surf Scoter, Black Scoter, Fulvous Whistling-Duck and Cinnamon Teal.
What is the most common duck in Tennessee?
The Mallard, with 90,368 eBird records in 2020–2024, followed by the Wood Duck with 39,158. It is a year-round resident, reported in every month.
When is the best time to see ducks in Tennessee?
January, February and December, when the combined share of Tennessee eBird records belonging to ducks is highest. Summer visitors such as the Black-bellied Whistling-Duck arrive around April. Winter visitors such as the Gadwall arrive around November.
More birds in Tennessee
Ducks in other states
Ducks in Tennessee: 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: Tennessee 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.