WhenToBird

Turdus migratorius · Turdidae

When Do American Robins Arrive in Massachusetts?

Adult male American Robin
Photo: northerly, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

American Robins are in Massachusetts all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from mid March, peak in the second week of May (74% of checklists), and fall back by early August. In the quietest week (the second week of January) they are still on about 27% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMar 15-21mid March
PeakMay 8-14the second week of May
Fall back byAug 1-7early August
FewestJan 8-14the second week of January

Best: the second week of May. Here all year; numbers build from mid March and fall back by early August. Peak: on about 74% of Massachusetts checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%20%40%60%80%Jan 1-7: 25% of 43252 checklistsJan 8-14: 28% of 30096 checklistsJan 15-21: 27% of 28760 checklistsJan 22-31: 29% of 38135 checklistsFeb 1-7: 30% of 26442 checklistsFeb 8-14: 29% of 29034 checklistsFeb 15-21: 28% of 37383 checklistsFeb 22-28: 32% of 29977 checklistsMar 1-7: 35% of 29175 checklistsMar 8-14: 40% of 32399 checklistsMar 15-21: 50% of 34444 checklistsMar 22-31: 58% of 49126 checklistsApr 1-7: 65% of 36456 checklistsApr 8-14: 69% of 40908 checklistsApr 15-21: 70% of 42078 checklistsApr 22-30: 72% of 56465 checklistsMay 1-7: 74% of 56994 checklistsMay 8-14: 73% of 64079 checklistsMay 15-21: 74% of 52020 checklistsMay 22-31: 73% of 55402 checklistsJun 1-7: 72% of 30682 checklistsJun 8-14: 70% of 27557 checklistsJun 15-21: 70% of 26163 checklistsJun 22-30: 70% of 29576 checklistsJul 1-7: 68% of 23931 checklistsJul 8-14: 67% of 22389 checklistsJul 15-21: 64% of 22365 checklistsJul 22-31: 57% of 32631 checklistsAug 1-7: 50% of 25133 checklistsAug 8-14: 43% of 24610 checklistsAug 15-21: 38% of 25350 checklistsAug 22-31: 35% of 37198 checklistsSep 1-7: 33% of 27402 checklistsSep 8-14: 33% of 27700 checklistsSep 15-21: 35% of 28398 checklistsSep 22-30: 39% of 34646 checklistsOct 1-7: 41% of 28620 checklistsOct 8-14: 40% of 30144 checklistsOct 15-21: 44% of 28893 checklistsOct 22-31: 44% of 38869 checklistsNov 1-7: 42% of 29782 checklistsNov 8-14: 38% of 27582 checklistsNov 15-21: 34% of 26642 checklistsNov 22-30: 32% of 34390 checklistsDec 1-7: 30% of 25164 checklistsDec 8-14: 30% of 24892 checklistsDec 15-21: 33% 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.

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Where in Massachusetts

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Middlesex CountyBest late May · 10402 checklists that week, 307,511 in all84%
  2. Suffolk CountyBest late April · 4130 checklists that week, 112,443 in all82%
  3. Hampshire CountyBest mid June · 2678 checklists that week, 162,423 in all81%
  4. Norfolk CountyBest late April · 3973 checklists that week, 114,756 in all80%
  5. Hampden CountyBest early May · 1213 checklists that week, 35,410 in all80%
  6. Bristol CountyBest the second week of May · 2245 checklists that week, 65,262 in all76%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Putnam PondWorcester County, best mid May · 33 checklists that week, 1,801 in all100%
  2. Worlds End ReservationPlymouth County, best mid June · 25 checklists that week, 930 in all100%
  3. Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State ParkWorcester County, best the second week of April · 26 checklists that week, 1,182 in all100%
  4. Halls PondNorfolk County, best mid June · 63 checklists that week, 3,274 in all100%
  5. Donahoe ParkMiddlesex County, best mid April · 27 checklists that week, 634 in all100%
  6. Mount FeakeMiddlesex County, best late July · 24 checklists that week, 1,194 in all100%

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

Best time of day

In Massachusetts, the American Robin is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (62% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%80%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: 66% of 108601 checklists7 am: 60% of 186104 checklists8 am: 56% of 185905 checklists9 am: 49% of 166049 checklists10 am: 44% of 150508 checklists11 am: 40% of 131024 checklists12 pm: 39% of 116804 checklists1 pm: 39% of 112055 checklists2 pm: 39% of 110246 checklists3 pm: 41% of 104376 checklists4 pm: 45% of 83736 checklists5 pm: 53% of 63723 checklists6 pm: 59% 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
January25%28%27%29%
February30%29%28%32%
March35%40%50%58%
April65%69%70%72%
May74%73%74%73%
June72%70%70%70%
July68%67%64%57%
August50%43%38%35%
September33%33%35%39%
October41%40%44%44%
November42%38%34%32%
December30%30%33%29%

Neighboring states

  • Rhode Island: arrives mid March, in the same week than Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire: arrives mid March, in the same week than Massachusetts
  • Connecticut: arrives mid March, in the same week than Massachusetts
  • Vermont: arrives mid March, in the same week than Massachusetts

Common questions

When do American Robins arrive in Massachusetts?
American Robins are in Massachusetts all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from mid March, peak in the second week of May (74% of checklists), and fall back by early August. In the quietest week (the second week of January) they are still on about 27% of checklists.
When do American Robins leave Massachusetts?
American Robins never fully leave Massachusetts: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by early August, but some are still reported in every week, about 27% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a American Robin in Massachusetts?
The American Robin is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 74% of Massachusetts checklists.
Where in Massachusetts are American Robins seen most often?
By county, Middlesex County, Suffolk County, and Hampshire County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Robin (counties with at least 200 checklists).