WhenToBird

Quiscalus major · Icteridae

When Do Boat-tailed Grackles Arrive in New Jersey?

Adult female Boat-tailed Grackle
Photo: Josiah Londerée, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Boat-tailed Grackles reach New Jersey in the second week of December, are common by the second week of January, peak in late May (7.2% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.

When to look

First arrivalsDec 8-14the second week of December
Common byJan 8-14the second week of January
PeakMay 22-31late May
Most gone byNov 1-7early November

Best: late May. First arrivals the second week of December; most are gone by early November. Peak: on about 7.2% of New Jersey checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 1.7% of 28167 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.8% of 20583 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.9% of 19739 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.4% of 24586 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.8% of 17226 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.6% of 19567 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.3% of 26553 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.9% of 19046 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.0% of 17969 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.2% of 18976 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.5% of 18581 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.7% of 27590 checklistsApr 1-7: 3.1% of 21202 checklistsApr 8-14: 4.1% of 23609 checklistsApr 15-21: 4.8% of 25056 checklistsApr 22-30: 5.0% of 36679 checklistsMay 1-7: 5.5% of 38378 checklistsMay 8-14: 6.5% of 44071 checklistsMay 15-21: 8.3% of 34076 checklistsMay 22-31: 6.9% of 32558 checklistsJun 1-7: 5.8% of 18049 checklistsJun 8-14: 4.8% of 15597 checklistsJun 15-21: 5.0% of 14894 checklistsJun 22-30: 4.8% of 17187 checklistsJul 1-7: 4.1% of 13406 checklistsJul 8-14: 3.9% of 12550 checklistsJul 15-21: 3.5% of 12358 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.0% of 18382 checklistsAug 1-7: 2.3% of 13689 checklistsAug 8-14: 2.6% of 14006 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.2% of 14483 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.9% of 23182 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.1% of 17984 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.5% of 18320 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.2% of 20491 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.9% of 26176 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.4% of 24112 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.1% of 24603 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.0% of 24549 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.3% of 26206 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.4% of 17469 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.0% of 15102 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.8% of 14958 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.8% of 19447 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.8% of 14017 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.0% of 14625 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.2% of 16937 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.1% of 26651 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 New Jersey 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 New Jersey

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Cumberland CountyBest late May · 763 checklists that week, 13,927 in all28%
  2. Cape May CountyBest the second week of June · 2192 checklists that week, 189,832 in all19%
  3. Ocean CountyBest late May · 2579 checklists that week, 87,340 in all14%
  4. Hudson CountyBest late May · 588 checklists that week, 21,191 in all14%
  5. Atlantic CountyBest late May · 900 checklists that week, 28,208 in all11%
  6. Monmouth CountyBest late May · 2266 checklists that week, 79,748 in all7.7%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Great Bay Boulevard Wildlife Management AreaOcean County, best mid April · 27 checklists that week, 1,138 in all92%
  2. Ocean City Estuary or MarshCape May County, best late April · 255 checklists that week, 3,666 in all89%
  3. Corsons Inlet State ParkCape May County, best mid May · 103 checklists that week, 1,512 in all81%
  4. The Wetlands Institute PreserveCape May County, best late April · 113 checklists that week, 3,679 in all80%
  5. Cedar BonnetOcean County, best late April · 108 checklists that week, 2,506 in all79%

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

Best time of day

In New Jersey, the Boat-tailed Grackle is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (3.6% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%12 am: too few checklists (746) to judge1 am: too few checklists (640) to judge2 am: too few checklists (606) to judge3 am: too few checklists (755) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1681) to judge5 am: too few checklists (11258) to judge6 am: 3.8% of 50447 checklists7 am: 2.7% of 118312 checklists8 am: 2.8% of 123273 checklists9 am: 3.1% of 107783 checklists10 am: 3.6% of 97537 checklists11 am: 3.5% of 82427 checklists12 pm: 3.2% of 72581 checklists1 pm: 3.5% of 71478 checklists2 pm: 3.6% of 69994 checklists3 pm: 3.1% of 66822 checklists4 pm: 3.1% of 55950 checklists5 pm: 3.0% of 41360 checklists6 pm: 3.0% of 28122 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (14727) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (4257) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1273) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (920) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (693) 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
January1.7%1.8%1.9%1.4%
February1.8%1.6%1.3%1.9%
March2.0%2.2%2.5%2.7%
April3.1%4.1%4.8%5.0%
May5.5%6.5%8.3%6.9%
June5.8%4.8%5.0%4.8%
July4.1%3.9%3.5%3.0%
August2.3%2.6%2.2%1.9%
September1.1%1.5%2.2%2.9%
October3.4%3.1%3.0%2.3%
November1.4%1.0%0.8%0.8%
December0.8%1.0%1.2%1.1%

Neighboring states

  • Delaware: arrives mid September, 11 weeks earlier than New Jersey
  • Connecticut: arrives the second week of March, 12 weeks later than New Jersey
  • New York: arrives mid March, 13 weeks later than New Jersey
  • Maryland: arrives early March, 11 weeks later than New Jersey

Common questions

When do Boat-tailed Grackles arrive in New Jersey?
Boat-tailed Grackles reach New Jersey in the second week of December, are common by the second week of January, peak in late May (7.2% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.
When do Boat-tailed Grackles leave New Jersey?
Most Boat-tailed Grackles have left New Jersey by early November, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of November.
When is the best time to see a Boat-tailed Grackle in New Jersey?
The Boat-tailed Grackle is reported most often in late May, on about 7.2% of New Jersey checklists.
Where in New Jersey are Boat-tailed Grackles seen most often?
By county, Cumberland County, Cape May County, and Ocean County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Boat-tailed Grackle (counties with at least 200 checklists).