WhenToBird

Quiscalus quiscula · Icteridae

When Do Common Grackles Arrive in Connecticut?

Adult Common Grackle
Photo: Derek Spencer, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Common Grackles are in Connecticut all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from early March, peak in late May (47% of checklists), and fall back by late July. In the quietest week (early January) they are still on about 2.4% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMar 1-7early March
PeakMay 22-31late May
Fall back byJul 22-31late July
FewestJan 1-7early January

Best: late May. Here all year; numbers build from early March and fall back by late July. Peak: on about 47% of Connecticut checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decrare

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

0%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 2.3% of 18950 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.6% of 13676 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.3% of 13377 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.4% of 17004 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.2% of 10218 checklistsFeb 8-14: 6.4% of 11568 checklistsFeb 15-21: 12% of 15916 checklistsFeb 22-28: 20% of 11413 checklistsMar 1-7: 25% of 10754 checklistsMar 8-14: 30% of 12051 checklistsMar 15-21: 32% of 12616 checklistsMar 22-31: 33% of 17801 checklistsApr 1-7: 35% of 13186 checklistsApr 8-14: 39% of 14428 checklistsApr 15-21: 42% of 14738 checklistsApr 22-30: 44% of 21753 checklistsMay 1-7: 47% of 22494 checklistsMay 8-14: 47% of 23363 checklistsMay 15-21: 48% of 20219 checklistsMay 22-31: 47% of 20778 checklistsJun 1-7: 47% of 12234 checklistsJun 8-14: 48% of 12491 checklistsJun 15-21: 44% of 10856 checklistsJun 22-30: 42% of 11964 checklistsJul 1-7: 38% of 9437 checklistsJul 8-14: 34% of 8599 checklistsJul 15-21: 29% of 8252 checklistsJul 22-31: 25% of 11329 checklistsAug 1-7: 23% of 8116 checklistsAug 8-14: 20% of 8051 checklistsAug 15-21: 20% of 8502 checklistsAug 22-31: 18% of 13673 checklistsSep 1-7: 15% of 9873 checklistsSep 8-14: 12% of 9735 checklistsSep 15-21: 10% of 10120 checklistsSep 22-30: 9.0% of 12543 checklistsOct 1-7: 9.9% of 10735 checklistsOct 8-14: 11% of 10869 checklistsOct 15-21: 13% of 10436 checklistsOct 22-31: 14% of 13808 checklistsNov 1-7: 13% of 10507 checklistsNov 8-14: 11% of 9827 checklistsNov 15-21: 7.0% of 9904 checklistsNov 22-30: 4.7% of 13396 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.4% of 8974 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.1% of 9468 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.1% of 11614 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.2% of 16616 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 Connecticut 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 Connecticut

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. New Haven CountyBest early June · 2719 checklists that week, 139,721 in all60%
  2. Fairfield CountyBest early June · 2304 checklists that week, 139,848 in all57%
  3. Hartford CountyBest the second week of May · 4171 checklists that week, 105,735 in all47%
  4. Middlesex CountyBest late May · 1452 checklists that week, 39,919 in all41%
  5. New London CountyBest the second week of June · 1033 checklists that week, 65,205 in all39%
  6. Windham CountyBest late June · 469 checklists that week, 19,034 in all39%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Bantam LakeLitchfield County, best the second week of May · 45 checklists that week, 2,470 in all98%
  2. Mill Pond ParkHartford County, best late April · 29 checklists that week, 580 in all96%
  3. Edgerton ParkNew Haven County, best mid April · 22 checklists that week, 478 in all95%
  4. Lake WackawanaFairfield County, best late April · 20 checklists that week, 304 in all93%

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

Best time of day

In Connecticut, the Common Grackle is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (33% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%40%12 am: too few checklists (325) to judge1 am: too few checklists (367) to judge2 am: too few checklists (488) to judge3 am: too few checklists (792) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2722) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9489) to judge6 am: 36% of 33657 checklists7 am: 31% of 62964 checklists8 am: 29% of 70645 checklists9 am: 24% of 64870 checklists10 am: 21% of 58827 checklists11 am: 18% of 51689 checklists12 pm: 17% of 45288 checklists1 pm: 17% of 44765 checklists2 pm: 17% of 44173 checklists3 pm: 18% of 41979 checklists4 pm: 23% of 33219 checklists5 pm: 29% of 24828 checklists6 pm: 31% of 15856 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (8126) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (1994) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (533) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (349) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (286) 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
January2.3%2.6%3.3%3.4%
February3.2%6.4%12%20%
March25%30%32%33%
April35%39%42%44%
May47%47%48%47%
June47%48%44%42%
July38%34%29%25%
August23%20%20%18%
September15%12%10%9.0%
October9.9%11%13%14%
November13%11%7.0%4.7%
December3.4%3.1%3.1%2.2%

Neighboring states

  • Rhode Island: arrives early February, 4 weeks earlier than Connecticut
  • Massachusetts: arrives the second week of February, 3 weeks earlier than Connecticut
  • New Jersey: arrives early March, in the same week than Connecticut
  • New York: arrives the second week of February, 3 weeks earlier than Connecticut

Common questions

When do Common Grackles arrive in Connecticut?
Common Grackles are in Connecticut all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from early March, peak in late May (47% of checklists), and fall back by late July. In the quietest week (early January) they are still on about 2.4% of checklists.
When do Common Grackles leave Connecticut?
Common Grackles never fully leave Connecticut: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by late July, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.4% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Common Grackle in Connecticut?
The Common Grackle is reported most often in late May, on about 47% of Connecticut checklists.
Where in Connecticut are Common Grackles seen most often?
By county, New Haven County, Fairfield County, and Hartford County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Common Grackle (counties with at least 200 checklists).