WhenToBird

Megaceryle alcyon · Alcedinidae

When Do Belted Kingfishers Arrive in Massachusetts?

Adult female Belted Kingfisher
Photo: Jonathan Eisen, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Belted Kingfishers are in Massachusetts all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from late July, peak in mid September (14% of checklists), and fall back by early November. In the quietest week (late February) they are still on about 2.4% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildJul 22-31late July
PeakSep 15-21mid September
Fall back byNov 1-7early November
FewestFeb 22-28late February

Best: mid September. Here all year; numbers build from late July and fall back by early November. Peak: on about 14% of Massachusetts checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 4.3% of 43252 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.5% of 30096 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.3% of 28760 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.9% of 38135 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.0% of 26442 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.8% of 29034 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.2% of 37383 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.6% of 29977 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.5% of 29175 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.0% of 32399 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.6% of 34444 checklistsMar 22-31: 5.4% of 49126 checklistsApr 1-7: 7.0% of 36456 checklistsApr 8-14: 9.2% of 40908 checklistsApr 15-21: 9.4% of 42078 checklistsApr 22-30: 9.0% of 56465 checklistsMay 1-7: 7.8% of 56994 checklistsMay 8-14: 5.2% of 64079 checklistsMay 15-21: 4.8% of 52020 checklistsMay 22-31: 4.2% of 55402 checklistsJun 1-7: 4.1% of 30682 checklistsJun 8-14: 3.7% of 27557 checklistsJun 15-21: 4.3% of 26163 checklistsJun 22-30: 4.7% of 29576 checklistsJul 1-7: 5.7% of 23931 checklistsJul 8-14: 6.3% of 22389 checklistsJul 15-21: 7.5% of 22365 checklistsJul 22-31: 8.7% of 32631 checklistsAug 1-7: 9.9% of 25133 checklistsAug 8-14: 10% of 24610 checklistsAug 15-21: 10% of 25350 checklistsAug 22-31: 12% of 37198 checklistsSep 1-7: 13% of 27402 checklistsSep 8-14: 14% of 27700 checklistsSep 15-21: 14% of 28398 checklistsSep 22-30: 14% of 34646 checklistsOct 1-7: 13% of 28620 checklistsOct 8-14: 11% of 30144 checklistsOct 15-21: 10% of 28893 checklistsOct 22-31: 9.4% of 38869 checklistsNov 1-7: 8.4% of 29782 checklistsNov 8-14: 7.3% of 27582 checklistsNov 15-21: 6.8% of 26642 checklistsNov 22-30: 6.3% of 34390 checklistsDec 1-7: 6.0% of 25164 checklistsDec 8-14: 5.1% of 24892 checklistsDec 15-21: 5.5% of 29022 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.5% 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 September · 613 checklists that week, 23,895 in all27%
  2. Hampden CountyBest late August · 929 checklists that week, 35,410 in all22%
  3. Berkshire CountyBest mid August · 1629 checklists that week, 92,890 in all19%
  4. Franklin CountyBest mid September · 668 checklists that week, 41,382 in all17%
  5. Middlesex CountyBest the second week of September · 4955 checklists that week, 307,511 in all17%
  6. Hampshire CountyBest mid April · 4381 checklists that week, 162,423 in all17%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Foley FieldHampshire County, best late July · 126 checklists that week, 2,425 in all93%
  2. Hinckleys PondBarnstable County, best late July · 30 checklists that week, 847 in all84%
  3. West ReservoirBarnstable County, best late October · 33 checklists that week, 3,667 in all83%
  4. Larence SwampHampshire County, best early April · 24 checklists that week, 843 in all83%
  5. Frank G Feeley ParkMiddlesex County, best mid August · 28 checklists that week, 372 in all79%

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

Best time of day

In Massachusetts, the Belted Kingfisher is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (8.9% of those checklists).

0%5%10%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: 9.3% of 108601 checklists7 am: 8.6% of 186104 checklists8 am: 7.8% of 185905 checklists9 am: 6.9% of 166049 checklists10 am: 6.1% of 150508 checklists11 am: 5.6% of 131024 checklists12 pm: 5.5% of 116804 checklists1 pm: 5.4% of 112055 checklists2 pm: 5.8% of 110246 checklists3 pm: 6.0% of 104376 checklists4 pm: 6.5% of 83736 checklists5 pm: 6.8% of 63723 checklists6 pm: 6.1% 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
January4.3%3.5%3.3%2.9%
February3.0%2.8%2.2%2.6%
March2.5%3.0%3.6%5.4%
April7.0%9.2%9.4%9.0%
May7.8%5.2%4.8%4.2%
June4.1%3.7%4.3%4.7%
July5.7%6.3%7.5%8.7%
August9.9%10%10%12%
September13%14%14%14%
October13%11%10%9.4%
November8.4%7.3%6.8%6.3%
December6.0%5.1%5.5%4.5%

Neighboring states

  • Rhode Island: arrives the second week of August, 2 weeks later than Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire: arrives early March, 19 weeks earlier than Massachusetts
  • Connecticut: arrives the second week of August, 2 weeks later than Massachusetts
  • Vermont: arrives the second week of March, 18 weeks earlier than Massachusetts

Common questions

When do Belted Kingfishers arrive in Massachusetts?
Belted Kingfishers are in Massachusetts all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from late July, peak in mid September (14% of checklists), and fall back by early November. In the quietest week (late February) they are still on about 2.4% of checklists.
When do Belted Kingfishers leave Massachusetts?
Belted Kingfishers never fully leave Massachusetts: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by early November, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.4% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Belted Kingfisher in Massachusetts?
The Belted Kingfisher is reported most often in mid September, on about 14% of Massachusetts checklists.
Where in Massachusetts are Belted Kingfishers seen most often?
By county, Nantucket County, Hampden County, and Berkshire County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Belted Kingfisher (counties with at least 200 checklists).