WhenToBird

Nycticorax nycticorax · Ardeidae

When Do Black-crowned Night Herons Arrive in Massachusetts?

Adult Black-crowned Night-Heron
Photo: jubileej, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Black-crowned Night Herons reach Massachusetts in early April, are common by the second week of April, peak in the second week of August (3.8% of checklists), and most are gone by late September.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 1-7early April
Common byApr 8-14the second week of April
PeakAug 8-14the second week of August
Most gone bySep 22-30late September

Best: the second week of August. First arrivals early April; most are gone by late September. Peak: on about 3.8% of Massachusetts checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novrare
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 43252 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.2% of 30096 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 28760 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.2% of 38135 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.2% of 26442 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 29034 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 37383 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 29977 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.1% of 29175 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 32399 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.3% of 34444 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.6% of 49126 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.3% of 36456 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.5% of 40908 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.3% of 42078 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.3% of 56465 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.4% of 56994 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.6% of 64079 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.7% of 52020 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.0% of 55402 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.8% of 30682 checklistsJun 8-14: 3.3% of 27557 checklistsJun 15-21: 3.8% of 26163 checklistsJun 22-30: 3.8% of 29576 checklistsJul 1-7: 3.5% of 23931 checklistsJul 8-14: 3.3% of 22389 checklistsJul 15-21: 3.1% of 22365 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.3% of 32631 checklistsAug 1-7: 3.7% of 25133 checklistsAug 8-14: 3.4% of 24610 checklistsAug 15-21: 4.2% of 25350 checklistsAug 22-31: 3.4% of 37198 checklistsSep 1-7: 3.0% of 27402 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.3% of 27700 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.0% of 28398 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.4% of 34646 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.2% of 28620 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.8% of 30144 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.7% of 28893 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.4% of 38869 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.3% of 29782 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.2% of 27582 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.2% of 26642 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 34390 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.2% of 25164 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 24892 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 29022 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% 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 the second week of June · 358 checklists that week, 23,895 in all17%
  2. Bristol CountyBest mid August · 908 checklists that week, 65,262 in all7.8%
  3. Suffolk CountyBest early July · 1526 checklists that week, 112,443 in all7.6%
  4. Essex CountyBest the second week of August · 2880 checklists that week, 213,973 in all7.5%
  5. Middlesex CountyBest the second week of June · 5099 checklists that week, 307,511 in all7.3%
  6. Dukes CountyBest late October · 505 checklists that week, 23,670 in all6.4%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Perkins ParkEssex County, best mid August · 76 checklists that week, 533 in all94%
  2. Mill Pond (Winchester)Middlesex County, best the second week of June · 20 checklists that week, 386 in all93%
  3. Hinckleys PondBarnstable County, best early June · 26 checklists that week, 847 in all93%
  4. Upper Lagoon PondDukes County, best early January · 20 checklists that week, 518 in all88%
  5. Blacks Creek Marshes (Pine Island)Norfolk County, best early August · 42 checklists that week, 303 in all88%
  6. Mystic LakesMiddlesex County, best the second week of June · 62 checklists that week, 2,987 in all87%

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

Best time of day

In Massachusetts, the Black-crowned Night Heron is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 pm (2.6% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%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: 2.7% of 108601 checklists7 am: 1.6% of 186104 checklists8 am: 1.3% of 185905 checklists9 am: 1.0% of 166049 checklists10 am: 0.8% of 150508 checklists11 am: 0.8% of 131024 checklists12 pm: 0.8% of 116804 checklists1 pm: 0.8% of 112055 checklists2 pm: 0.8% of 110246 checklists3 pm: 0.9% of 104376 checklists4 pm: 1.3% of 83736 checklists5 pm: 2.1% of 63723 checklists6 pm: 3.4% 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
January0.1%0.2%0.1%0.2%
February0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%
March0.1%0.1%0.3%0.6%
April1.3%1.5%1.3%1.3%
May1.4%1.6%1.7%2.0%
June2.8%3.3%3.8%3.8%
July3.5%3.3%3.1%3.3%
August3.7%3.4%4.2%3.4%
September3.0%2.3%2.0%1.4%
October1.2%0.8%0.7%0.4%
November0.3%0.2%0.2%0.1%
December0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • Rhode Island: arrives late March, 1 week earlier than Massachusetts
  • Connecticut: arrives the second week of April, 1 week later than Massachusetts
  • Vermont: arrives the second week of May, 5 weeks later than Massachusetts
  • Maine: arrives mid April, 2 weeks later than Massachusetts

Common questions

When do Black-crowned Night Herons arrive in Massachusetts?
Black-crowned Night Herons reach Massachusetts in early April, are common by the second week of April, peak in the second week of August (3.8% of checklists), and most are gone by late September.
When do Black-crowned Night Herons leave Massachusetts?
Most Black-crowned Night Herons have left Massachusetts by late September, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early October.
When is the best time to see a Black-crowned Night Heron in Massachusetts?
The Black-crowned Night Heron is reported most often in the second week of August, on about 3.8% of Massachusetts checklists.
Where in Massachusetts are Black-crowned Night Herons seen most often?
By county, Nantucket County, Bristol County, and Suffolk County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Black-crowned Night Heron (counties with at least 200 checklists).