Most commonly hunted migratory birds in Iowa

Stacker compiled a list of the most commonly hunted migratory birds in Iowa using data from a report released by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in August 2025. Duck and goose species are ranked by the estimated 2024 hunting harvest in Iowa.

#10. Wigeon
- Iowa: 1,272 (0.2% of national harvest)
- National: 734,408
- States with the largest harvests:
--- #1. California: 156,546 (21.3% of national harvest)
--- #2. Washington: 87,852 (12.0%)
--- #3. Texas: 65,124 (8.9%)
--- #4. Oregon: 48,830 (6.6%)
--- #5. North Dakota: 41,888 (5.7%)

#9. Ring-necked Duck
- Iowa: 2,332 (0.4% of national harvest)
- National: 626,648
- States with the largest harvests:
--- #1. Florida: 140,058 (22.4% of national harvest)
--- #2. Minnesota: 53,061 (8.5%)
--- #3. South Carolina: 44,351 (7.1%)
--- #4. Texas: 43,659 (7.0%)
--- #5. Louisiana: 42,862 (6.8%)

#8. Northern Pintail
- Iowa: 2,969 (0.6% of national harvest)
- National: 498,672
- States with the largest harvests:
--- #1. California: 86,358 (17.3% of national harvest)
--- #2. Texas: 45,114 (9.0%)
--- #3. Arkansas: 36,067 (7.2%)
--- #4. North Dakota: 33,384 (6.7%)
--- #5. Louisiana: 30,185 (6.1%)

#7. Northern Shoveler
- Iowa: 3,605 (0.6% of national harvest)
- National: 558,228
- States with the largest harvests:
--- #1. California: 148,727 (26.6% of national harvest)
--- #2. Arkansas: 63,117 (11.3%)
--- #3. Louisiana: 57,955 (10.4%)
--- #4. Texas: 44,386 (8.0%)
--- #5. North Dakota: 38,423 (6.9%)

#6. Gadwall
- Iowa: 6,785 (0.5% of national harvest)
- National: 1.4 million
- States with the largest harvests:
--- #1. Arkansas: 295,749 (20.5% of national harvest)
--- #2. Louisiana: 180,505 (12.5%)
--- #3. Texas: 147,712 (10.2%)
--- #4. Tennessee: 85,775 (5.9%)
--- #5. Oklahoma: 85,682 (5.9%)

#5. Mallard
- Iowa: 25,233 (0.7% of national harvest)
- National: 3.5 million
- States with the largest harvests:
--- #1. Arkansas: 530,183 (15.3% of national harvest)
--- #2. Oklahoma: 201,683 (5.8%)
--- #3. Missouri: 187,251 (5.4%)
--- #4. Tennessee: 180,965 (5.2%)
--- #5. North Dakota: 164,401 (4.7%)

#4. Blue-winged/Cinnamon Teal
- Iowa: 32,654 (2.5% of national harvest)
- National: 1.3 million
- States with the largest harvests:
--- #1. Texas: 298,335 (23.1% of national harvest)
--- #2. Louisiana: 295,811 (22.9%)
--- #3. Minnesota: 149,535 (11.6%)
--- #4. North Dakota: 61,729 (4.8%)
--- #5. Kansas: 61,361 (4.8%)

#3. Green-winged Teal
- Iowa: 34,350 (1.4% of national harvest)
- National: 2.4 million
- States with the largest harvests:
--- #1. California: 332,993 (13.9% of national harvest)
--- #2. Louisiana: 263,211 (11.0%)
--- #3. Texas: 219,022 (9.1%)
--- #4. Arkansas: 209,789 (8.8%)
--- #5. North Carolina: 134,267 (5.6%)

#2. Wood Duck
- Iowa: 39,015 (2.2% of national harvest)
- National: 1.8 million
- States with the largest harvests:
--- #1. Georgia: 215,316 (12.1% of national harvest)
--- #2. Louisiana: 205,256 (11.5%)
--- #3. Arkansas: 175,526 (9.8%)
--- #4. Minnesota: 114,865 (6.4%)
--- #5. Wisconsin: 112,564 (6.3%)

#1. Canada Goose
- Iowa: 49,819 (2.1% of national harvest)
- National: 2.4 million
- States with the largest harvests:
--- #1. Michigan: 167,809 (7.1% of national harvest)
--- #2. Minnesota: 149,423 (6.3%)
--- #3. Kansas: 147,696 (6.2%)
--- #4. Wisconsin: 141,923 (6.0%)
--- #5. Illinois: 140,829 (5.9%)