WhenToBird

Corvus brachyrhynchos · Corvidae

When Do American Crows Arrive in Massachusetts?

Adult American Crow
Photo: Ken Kneidel, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

The American Crow is in Massachusetts all year. It turns up on about 45% of checklists at its peak (late October) and on 32% in its quietest week (the second week of July).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekOct 22-31late October
Quietest weekJul 8-14the second week of July

Best: late October. Here all year. Peak: on about 45% of Massachusetts checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 34% of 43252 checklistsJan 8-14: 34% of 30096 checklistsJan 15-21: 33% of 28760 checklistsJan 22-31: 34% of 38135 checklistsFeb 1-7: 35% of 26442 checklistsFeb 8-14: 35% of 29034 checklistsFeb 15-21: 34% of 37383 checklistsFeb 22-28: 41% of 29977 checklistsMar 1-7: 40% of 29175 checklistsMar 8-14: 42% of 32399 checklistsMar 15-21: 44% of 34444 checklistsMar 22-31: 45% of 49126 checklistsApr 1-7: 44% of 36456 checklistsApr 8-14: 42% of 40908 checklistsApr 15-21: 40% of 42078 checklistsApr 22-30: 39% of 56465 checklistsMay 1-7: 38% of 56994 checklistsMay 8-14: 35% of 64079 checklistsMay 15-21: 35% of 52020 checklistsMay 22-31: 35% of 55402 checklistsJun 1-7: 34% of 30682 checklistsJun 8-14: 33% of 27557 checklistsJun 15-21: 33% of 26163 checklistsJun 22-30: 32% of 29576 checklistsJul 1-7: 32% of 23931 checklistsJul 8-14: 31% of 22389 checklistsJul 15-21: 32% of 22365 checklistsJul 22-31: 34% of 32631 checklistsAug 1-7: 34% of 25133 checklistsAug 8-14: 35% of 24610 checklistsAug 15-21: 35% of 25350 checklistsAug 22-31: 36% of 37198 checklistsSep 1-7: 37% of 27402 checklistsSep 8-14: 38% of 27700 checklistsSep 15-21: 39% of 28398 checklistsSep 22-30: 42% of 34646 checklistsOct 1-7: 43% of 28620 checklistsOct 8-14: 43% of 30144 checklistsOct 15-21: 45% of 28893 checklistsOct 22-31: 46% of 38869 checklistsNov 1-7: 45% of 29782 checklistsNov 8-14: 42% of 27582 checklistsNov 15-21: 39% of 26642 checklistsNov 22-30: 39% of 34390 checklistsDec 1-7: 37% of 25164 checklistsDec 8-14: 36% of 24892 checklistsDec 15-21: 37% of 29022 checklistsDec 22-31: 37% 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. Nantucket CountyBest late October · 748 checklists that week, 23,895 in all65%
  2. Barnstable CountyBest mid April · 4310 checklists that week, 215,188 in all62%
  3. Dukes CountyBest the second week of April · 340 checklists that week, 23,670 in all62%
  4. Berkshire CountyBest the second week of October · 1842 checklists that week, 92,890 in all61%
  5. Plymouth CountyBest mid October · 1509 checklists that week, 89,282 in all50%
  6. Worcester CountyBest late October · 3169 checklists that week, 128,594 in all49%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Bank Street Bogs Nature PreserveBarnstable County, best early November · 31 checklists that week, 1,669 in all99%
  2. Clam PoolsBarnstable County, best early May · 26 checklists that week, 272 in all99%
  3. Pine HillFranklin County, best early November · 23 checklists that week, 861 in all98%
  4. Madaket Conservation AreaNantucket County, best the second week of April · 30 checklists that week, 1,071 in all98%

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

Best time of day

In Massachusetts, the American Crow is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (49% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%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: 52% of 108601 checklists7 am: 48% of 186104 checklists8 am: 44% of 185905 checklists9 am: 41% of 166049 checklists10 am: 38% of 150508 checklists11 am: 35% of 131024 checklists12 pm: 34% of 116804 checklists1 pm: 34% of 112055 checklists2 pm: 33% of 110246 checklists3 pm: 30% of 104376 checklists4 pm: 29% of 83736 checklists5 pm: 28% of 63723 checklists6 pm: 24% 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
January34%34%33%34%
February35%35%34%41%
March40%42%44%45%
April44%42%40%39%
May38%35%35%35%
June34%33%33%32%
July32%31%32%34%
August34%35%35%36%
September37%38%39%42%
October43%43%45%46%
November45%42%39%39%
December37%36%37%37%

Neighboring states

Common questions

When do American Crows arrive in Massachusetts?
The American Crow is in Massachusetts all year. It turns up on about 45% of checklists at its peak (late October) and on 32% in its quietest week (the second week of July).
When do American Crows leave Massachusetts?
The American Crow does not leave Massachusetts: it is reported all year, from 32% of checklists in the second week of July to 45% in late October.
When is the best time to see a American Crow in Massachusetts?
The American Crow is reported most often in late October, on about 45% of Massachusetts checklists.
Where in Massachusetts are American Crows seen most often?
By county, Nantucket County, Barnstable County, and Dukes County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Crow (counties with at least 200 checklists).