WhenToBird

Spinus tristis · Fringillidae

When Do American Goldfinches Arrive in Massachusetts?

Adult American Goldfinch
Photo: Andy Wilson, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

American Goldfinches are in Massachusetts all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from the second week of April, peak in the second week of August (61% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of September. In the quietest week (early March) they are still on about 22% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildApr 8-14the second week of April
PeakAug 8-14the second week of August
Fall back bySep 8-14the second week of September
FewestMar 1-7early March

Best: the second week of August. Here all year; numbers build from the second week of April and fall back by the second week of September. Peak: on about 61% of Massachusetts checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%20%40%60%80%Jan 1-7: 26% of 43252 checklistsJan 8-14: 25% of 30096 checklistsJan 15-21: 24% of 28760 checklistsJan 22-31: 24% of 38135 checklistsFeb 1-7: 24% of 26442 checklistsFeb 8-14: 25% of 29034 checklistsFeb 15-21: 25% of 37383 checklistsFeb 22-28: 22% of 29977 checklistsMar 1-7: 21% of 29175 checklistsMar 8-14: 21% of 32399 checklistsMar 15-21: 24% of 34444 checklistsMar 22-31: 30% of 49126 checklistsApr 1-7: 35% of 36456 checklistsApr 8-14: 43% of 40908 checklistsApr 15-21: 47% of 42078 checklistsApr 22-30: 53% of 56465 checklistsMay 1-7: 56% of 56994 checklistsMay 8-14: 53% of 64079 checklistsMay 15-21: 50% of 52020 checklistsMay 22-31: 47% of 55402 checklistsJun 1-7: 45% of 30682 checklistsJun 8-14: 46% of 27557 checklistsJun 15-21: 48% of 26163 checklistsJun 22-30: 51% of 29576 checklistsJul 1-7: 54% of 23931 checklistsJul 8-14: 56% of 22389 checklistsJul 15-21: 59% of 22365 checklistsJul 22-31: 61% of 32631 checklistsAug 1-7: 62% of 25133 checklistsAug 8-14: 62% of 24610 checklistsAug 15-21: 61% of 25350 checklistsAug 22-31: 57% of 37198 checklistsSep 1-7: 50% of 27402 checklistsSep 8-14: 45% of 27700 checklistsSep 15-21: 39% of 28398 checklistsSep 22-30: 36% of 34646 checklistsOct 1-7: 33% of 28620 checklistsOct 8-14: 28% of 30144 checklistsOct 15-21: 28% of 28893 checklistsOct 22-31: 31% of 38869 checklistsNov 1-7: 35% of 29782 checklistsNov 8-14: 35% of 27582 checklistsNov 15-21: 36% of 26642 checklistsNov 22-30: 36% of 34390 checklistsDec 1-7: 34% of 25164 checklistsDec 8-14: 33% of 24892 checklistsDec 15-21: 35% of 29022 checklistsDec 22-31: 29% 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Massachusetts

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hampshire CountyBest the second week of August · 2299 checklists that week, 162,423 in all73%
  2. Franklin CountyBest the second week of August · 469 checklists that week, 41,382 in all72%
  3. Worcester CountyBest the second week of August · 1765 checklists that week, 128,594 in all71%
  4. Middlesex CountyBest the second week of August · 3964 checklists that week, 307,511 in all69%
  5. Norfolk CountyBest early August · 1840 checklists that week, 114,756 in all68%
  6. Berkshire CountyBest the second week of August · 1507 checklists that week, 92,890 in all68%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Locust Grove CemeteryEssex County, best the second week of August · 24 checklists that week, 224 in all100%
  2. Cow CommonMiddlesex County, best late August · 22 checklists that week, 667 in all100%
  3. Wilburite CornerBristol County, best late September · 20 checklists that week, 505 in all98%
  4. Sears LandMiddlesex County, best late July · 25 checklists that week, 1,084 in all98%

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

Best time of day

In Massachusetts, the American Goldfinch is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (56% 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: 59% of 108601 checklists7 am: 55% of 186104 checklists8 am: 50% of 185905 checklists9 am: 44% of 166049 checklists10 am: 38% of 150508 checklists11 am: 34% of 131024 checklists12 pm: 32% of 116804 checklists1 pm: 31% of 112055 checklists2 pm: 28% of 110246 checklists3 pm: 25% of 104376 checklists4 pm: 28% of 83736 checklists5 pm: 33% of 63723 checklists6 pm: 34% 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
January26%25%24%24%
February24%25%25%22%
March21%21%24%30%
April35%43%47%53%
May56%53%50%47%
June45%46%48%51%
July54%56%59%61%
August62%62%61%57%
September50%45%39%36%
October33%28%28%31%
November35%35%36%36%
December34%33%35%29%

Neighboring states

  • Rhode Island: arrives the second week of April, in the same week than Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire: year-round, peaks the second week of August
  • Connecticut: arrives mid April, 1 week later than Massachusetts
  • Vermont: arrives mid June, 9 weeks later than Massachusetts

Common questions

When do American Goldfinches arrive in Massachusetts?
American Goldfinches are in Massachusetts all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from the second week of April, peak in the second week of August (61% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of September. In the quietest week (early March) they are still on about 22% of checklists.
When do American Goldfinches leave Massachusetts?
American Goldfinches never fully leave Massachusetts: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by the second week of September, but some are still reported in every week, about 22% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a American Goldfinch in Massachusetts?
The American Goldfinch is reported most often in the second week of August, on about 61% of Massachusetts checklists.
Where in Massachusetts are American Goldfinches seen most often?
By county, Hampshire County, Franklin County, and Worcester County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Goldfinch (counties with at least 200 checklists).