South · Central Flyway
Ducks in Texas
Ducks in Texas come down to 33 species with regular eBird records, led by the Black-bellied Whistling-Duck. Together they account for 1,808,470 of the 35 million eBird records from 2020–2024 — 5.1% of everything reported in the state.
The full list: Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, Mallard, Gadwall, Mottled Duck, Green-winged Teal, Lesser Scaup, American Wigeon, Ring-necked Duck, Northern Pintail, Ruddy Duck, Wood Duck, Redhead, Bufflehead, Muscovy Duck, Canvasback, Cinnamon Teal, Fulvous Whistling-Duck, Red-breasted Merganser, Hooded Merganser, Mexican Duck, Common Goldeneye, Greater Scaup, Common Merganser, Surf Scoter, Long-tailed Duck, Black Scoter, White-winged Scoter, Eurasian Wigeon, Harlequin Duck, Mandarin Duck and Ruddy Shelduck. 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 Texas: 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. Black-bellied Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis) — 245,264 records, 0.7% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
2. Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors) — 198,829 records, 0.6% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from September to May and peaking in March.
3. Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata) — 164,480 records, 0.5% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from October to April and peaking in January.
4. Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) — 164,332 records, 0.5% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
5. Gadwall (Mareca strepera) — 127,390 records, 0.4% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from October to March and peaking in January.
6. Mottled Duck (Anas fulvigula) — 111,410 records, 0.3% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
7. Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca) — 105,307 records, 0.3% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from October to March and peaking in January.
8. Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis) — 80,587 records, 0.2% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from November to March and peaking in January.
9. American Wigeon (Mareca americana) — 76,746 records, 0.2% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from October to March and peaking in January.
10. Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris) — 69,282 records, 0.2% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from November to March and peaking in January.
11. Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) — 68,086 records, 0.2% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from October to February and peaking in January.
12. Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis) — 66,204 records, 0.2% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from October to March and peaking in November.
The remaining 21 species — Wood Duck, Redhead, Bufflehead, Muscovy Duck, Canvasback, Cinnamon Teal, Fulvous Whistling-Duck, Red-breasted Merganser, Hooded Merganser, Mexican Duck, Common Goldeneye, Greater Scaup, Common Merganser, Surf Scoter, Long-tailed Duck, Black Scoter, White-winged Scoter, Eurasian Wigeon, Harlequin Duck, Mandarin Duck and Ruddy Shelduck — are recorded regularly but in smaller numbers; see the cards above for their status.
When to see ducks in Texas
Adding up every species’ share of state eBird records month by month, ducks are most prominent in January, February and December and least in July and June. 6 of the 33 species are year-round — Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Mallard, Mottled Duck, Wood Duck, Muscovy Duck and Mexican Duck — so there is no month without them.
Summer visitors. Fulvous Whistling-Duck arrives around March and is mostly gone after August (peak April).
Winter visitors. Blue-winged Teal arrives around September and leaves after May (peak March); Northern Shoveler arrives around October and leaves after April (peak January); Gadwall arrives around October and leaves after March (peak January); Green-winged Teal arrives around October and leaves after March (peak January); Lesser Scaup arrives around November and leaves after March (peak January); American Wigeon arrives around October and leaves after March (peak January).
Passage migrants. White-winged Scoter is reported mainly in November and December; Harlequin Duck is reported mainly in February and March; Mandarin Duck is reported mainly in January, February, March and October; Ruddy Shelduck is reported mainly in August, November and December.
Attracting ducks to Texas 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 Texas the duck most likely to turn up is the Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, a year-round resident, followed by the Mallard.
Ducks in Texas: FAQ
How many species of ducks are there in Texas?
33 species of ducks have regular eBird records in Texas (at least 25 records in 2020–2024): Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, Mallard, Gadwall, Mottled Duck, Green-winged Teal, Lesser Scaup, American Wigeon, Ring-necked Duck, Northern Pintail, Ruddy Duck, Wood Duck, Redhead, Bufflehead, Muscovy Duck, Canvasback, Cinnamon Teal, Fulvous Whistling-Duck, Red-breasted Merganser, Hooded Merganser, Mexican Duck, Common Goldeneye, Greater Scaup, Common Merganser, Surf Scoter, Long-tailed Duck, Black Scoter, White-winged Scoter, Eurasian Wigeon, Harlequin Duck, Mandarin Duck and Ruddy Shelduck.
What is the most common duck in Texas?
The Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, with 245,264 eBird records in 2020–2024, followed by the Blue-winged Teal with 198,829. It is a year-round resident, reported in every month.
When is the best time to see ducks in Texas?
January, February and December, when the combined share of Texas eBird records belonging to ducks is highest. Summer visitors such as the Fulvous Whistling-Duck arrive around March. Winter visitors such as the Blue-winged Teal arrive around September.
More birds in Texas
Ducks in other states
Ducks in Texas: 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: Texas 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.