Arkansas Duck Migration Report 2026

Duck observations in Arkansas usually climb from the week of Oct 26 and reach their fall high around the week of Nov 16, and the share stays that high into January; they stay above the halfway mark between their July level and that high through the week of Mar 23. That is from ten years of research grade iNaturalist observations, 2016 to 2025, counted as a share of all bird observations so the growth of the app does not skew it.

Arkansas Game and Fish Commission runs the Aerial Waterfowl Survey, last counted in January 2026 (694,286 ducks, 337,479 mallards). Each count links to the agency's own report.

In Arkansas, blue-winged teal climb first, from around the week of Aug 24, and northern pintail come last, from around the week of Dec 21. That is the week each species' share of bird observations first passes the halfway mark between its July level and its fall high; the species chart shows all of them week by week.

Arkansas is in the Mississippi Flyway. The continent's busiest duck corridor, following the Mississippi River system. The freeze watch for Arkansas reads forecast lows at the Mississippi Flyway's northern staging areas: Bemidji, Fergus Falls, Green Bay, Alpena, Saginaw Bay.

The 2026 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service breeding survey estimated 33.4 ± 0.6 million birds, 6% below the long-term average of 35.4 ± 0.09 million. That is the fall flight's starting point for every state, Arkansas included.

Season dates, zones and bag limits for Arkansas are set by the state wildlife agency inside the federal frameworks and are listed on the Arkansas waterfowl season page, linked below.