WhenToBird

Anas rubripes · Anatidae

When Do American Black Ducks Arrive in Massachusetts?

Adult American Black Duck
Photo: Lisa Wiencek Gerbec, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

American Black Ducks are in Massachusetts all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from the second week of October, peak in mid March (17% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of April. In the quietest week (mid June) they are still on about 2.5% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildOct 8-14the second week of October
PeakMar 15-21mid March
Fall back byApr 8-14the second week of April
FewestJun 15-21mid June

Best: mid March. Here all year; numbers build from the second week of October and fall back by the second week of April. Peak: on about 17% of Massachusetts checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

Darker months: more checklists report it. Outlined: peak month.

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 16% of 43252 checklistsJan 8-14: 17% of 30096 checklistsJan 15-21: 16% of 28760 checklistsJan 22-31: 16% of 38135 checklistsFeb 1-7: 16% of 26442 checklistsFeb 8-14: 15% of 29034 checklistsFeb 15-21: 14% of 37383 checklistsFeb 22-28: 17% of 29977 checklistsMar 1-7: 17% of 29175 checklistsMar 8-14: 17% of 32399 checklistsMar 15-21: 18% of 34444 checklistsMar 22-31: 17% of 49126 checklistsApr 1-7: 14% of 36456 checklistsApr 8-14: 11% of 40908 checklistsApr 15-21: 8.2% of 42078 checklistsApr 22-30: 5.8% of 56465 checklistsMay 1-7: 3.8% of 56994 checklistsMay 8-14: 3.1% of 64079 checklistsMay 15-21: 3.0% of 52020 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.8% of 55402 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.9% of 30682 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.5% of 27557 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.5% of 26163 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.5% of 29576 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.8% of 23931 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.8% of 22389 checklistsJul 15-21: 3.4% of 22365 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.5% of 32631 checklistsAug 1-7: 3.8% of 25133 checklistsAug 8-14: 4.5% of 24610 checklistsAug 15-21: 4.5% of 25350 checklistsAug 22-31: 4.5% of 37198 checklistsSep 1-7: 4.9% of 27402 checklistsSep 8-14: 5.0% of 27700 checklistsSep 15-21: 6.3% of 28398 checklistsSep 22-30: 7.1% of 34646 checklistsOct 1-7: 9.0% of 28620 checklistsOct 8-14: 10% of 30144 checklistsOct 15-21: 12% of 28893 checklistsOct 22-31: 13% of 38869 checklistsNov 1-7: 16% of 29782 checklistsNov 8-14: 17% of 27582 checklistsNov 15-21: 16% of 26642 checklistsNov 22-30: 17% of 34390 checklistsDec 1-7: 17% of 25164 checklistsDec 8-14: 16% of 24892 checklistsDec 15-21: 16% of 29022 checklistsDec 22-31: 16% of 44323 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Frequency is the share of complete checklists in Massachusetts that listed the bird, 2016–2025. It is not a head count, and it follows where and when people go birding. How to read it.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
today
Second week of November

Each county is shaded by the share of complete checklists there that listed the bird, blended with the weeks either side. Darker is more often. It follows where people watch birds, not how many birds there are. How to read it.

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Where in Massachusetts

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hampden CountyBest the second week of March · 763 checklists that week, 35,410 in all32%
  2. Barnstable CountyBest mid March · 3632 checklists that week, 215,188 in all30%
  3. Nantucket CountyBest the second week of February · 348 checklists that week, 23,895 in all30%
  4. Bristol CountyBest the second week of December · 1124 checklists that week, 65,262 in all27%
  5. Essex CountyBest early March · 4293 checklists that week, 213,973 in all26%
  6. Plymouth CountyBest mid March · 2001 checklists that week, 89,282 in all26%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lot 15 Frost Fish CreekBarnstable County, best mid April · 29 checklists that week, 546 in all97%
  2. Berkshire PondBerkshire County, best mid February · 24 checklists that week, 594 in all97%
  3. Jug End Fen Wildlife Management AreaBerkshire County, best early November · 39 checklists that week, 750 in all95%
  4. Moon PondBarnstable County, best mid February · 24 checklists that week, 2,134 in all94%
  5. Parker River National Wildlife Refuge (Pork Island)Essex County, best early December · 29 checklists that week, 3,419 in all94%
  6. Hallets MillpondBarnstable County, best mid January · 28 checklists that week, 1,054 in all92%

Busy spots report more of everything; compare the checklist counts before you drive anywhere.

Best time of day

In Massachusetts, the American Black Duck is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (12% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (630) to judge1 am: too few checklists (657) to judge2 am: too few checklists (645) to judge3 am: too few checklists (850) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3787) to judge5 am: too few checklists (29743) to judge6 am: 8.2% of 108601 checklists7 am: 9.1% of 186104 checklists8 am: 9.9% of 185905 checklists9 am: 11% of 166049 checklists10 am: 11% of 150508 checklists11 am: 11% of 131024 checklists12 pm: 12% of 116804 checklists1 pm: 12% of 112055 checklists2 pm: 12% of 110246 checklists3 pm: 11% of 104376 checklists4 pm: 9.3% of 83736 checklists5 pm: 6.6% of 63723 checklists6 pm: 5.1% of 41435 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (21041) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (5240) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1722) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1094) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (704) to judge12a3a6a9a12p3p6p9p
Share of checklists started in each local hour that reported it. It reflects when people go birding as well as when birds are active. Grey hours have too few checklists (under 2% of the state’s, or under 200) to judge.
Week-by-week table
MonthDays 1-78-1415-2122-end
January16%17%16%16%
February16%15%14%17%
March17%17%18%17%
April14%11%8.2%5.8%
May3.8%3.1%3.0%2.8%
June2.9%2.5%2.5%2.5%
July2.8%2.8%3.4%3.5%
August3.8%4.5%4.5%4.5%
September4.9%5.0%6.3%7.1%
October9.0%10%12%13%
November16%17%16%17%
December17%16%16%16%

Neighboring states

  • Rhode Island: arrives early August, 9 weeks earlier than Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire: arrives mid July, 11 weeks earlier than Massachusetts
  • Connecticut: arrives late October, 2 weeks later than Massachusetts
  • Vermont: arrives late July, 10 weeks earlier than Massachusetts

Common questions

When do American Black Ducks arrive in Massachusetts?
American Black Ducks are in Massachusetts all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from the second week of October, peak in mid March (17% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of April. In the quietest week (mid June) they are still on about 2.5% of checklists.
When do American Black Ducks leave Massachusetts?
American Black Ducks never fully leave Massachusetts: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by the second week of April, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.5% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a American Black Duck in Massachusetts?
The American Black Duck is reported most often in mid March, on about 17% of Massachusetts checklists.
Where in Massachusetts are American Black Ducks seen most often?
By county, Hampden County, Barnstable County, and Nantucket County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Black Duck (counties with at least 200 checklists).