WhenToBird

Quiscalus quiscula · Icteridae

When Do Common Grackles Arrive in Massachusetts?

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

Common Grackles reach Massachusetts in the second week of February, are common by early March, peak in late May (56% of checklists), and most are gone by early September.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 8-14the second week of February
Common byMar 1-7early March
PeakMay 22-31late May
Most gone bySep 1-7early September

Best: late May. First arrivals the second week of February; most are gone by early September. Peak: on about 56% of Massachusetts checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  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. Decnot usually seen

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

0%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 0.9% of 43252 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.1% of 30096 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.0% of 28760 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.1% of 38135 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.5% of 26442 checklistsFeb 8-14: 4.7% of 29034 checklistsFeb 15-21: 8.3% of 37383 checklistsFeb 22-28: 18% of 29977 checklistsMar 1-7: 28% of 29175 checklistsMar 8-14: 36% of 32399 checklistsMar 15-21: 40% of 34444 checklistsMar 22-31: 41% of 49126 checklistsApr 1-7: 43% of 36456 checklistsApr 8-14: 46% of 40908 checklistsApr 15-21: 48% of 42078 checklistsApr 22-30: 52% of 56465 checklistsMay 1-7: 54% of 56994 checklistsMay 8-14: 54% of 64079 checklistsMay 15-21: 56% of 52020 checklistsMay 22-31: 56% of 55402 checklistsJun 1-7: 54% of 30682 checklistsJun 8-14: 54% of 27557 checklistsJun 15-21: 53% of 26163 checklistsJun 22-30: 51% of 29576 checklistsJul 1-7: 47% of 23931 checklistsJul 8-14: 43% of 22389 checklistsJul 15-21: 38% of 22365 checklistsJul 22-31: 34% of 32631 checklistsAug 1-7: 30% of 25133 checklistsAug 8-14: 27% of 24610 checklistsAug 15-21: 25% of 25350 checklistsAug 22-31: 23% of 37198 checklistsSep 1-7: 20% of 27402 checklistsSep 8-14: 17% of 27700 checklistsSep 15-21: 15% of 28398 checklistsSep 22-30: 14% of 34646 checklistsOct 1-7: 15% of 28620 checklistsOct 8-14: 16% of 30144 checklistsOct 15-21: 18% of 28893 checklistsOct 22-31: 16% of 38869 checklistsNov 1-7: 10% of 29782 checklistsNov 8-14: 5.9% of 27582 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.4% of 26642 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.1% of 34390 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.5% of 25164 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.4% of 24892 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.6% of 29022 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.1% 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. Middlesex CountyBest late May · 10402 checklists that week, 307,511 in all68%
  2. Suffolk CountyBest mid May · 3960 checklists that week, 112,443 in all66%
  3. Norfolk CountyBest late May · 4009 checklists that week, 114,756 in all64%
  4. Bristol CountyBest early June · 1173 checklists that week, 65,262 in all60%
  5. Barnstable CountyBest early June · 3933 checklists that week, 215,188 in all58%
  6. Essex CountyBest early June · 3662 checklists that week, 213,973 in all58%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Locke FarmMiddlesex County, best late April · 20 checklists that week, 245 in all100%
  2. Attaquin ParkBarnstable County, best the second week of June · 22 checklists that week, 1,849 in all100%
  3. Craigville Marshes (Craigville Beach)Barnstable County, best late May · 21 checklists that week, 396 in all100%
  4. Martins PondMiddlesex County, best late April · 37 checklists that week, 1,739 in all100%
  5. Waseeka Wildlife SanctuaryMiddlesex County, best late May · 20 checklists that week, 454 in all98%
  6. Joyce Kilmer ParkSuffolk County, best mid April · 52 checklists that week, 1,258 in all98%

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

Best time of day

In Massachusetts, the Common Grackle is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (39% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%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: 44% of 108601 checklists7 am: 36% of 186104 checklists8 am: 31% of 185905 checklists9 am: 27% of 166049 checklists10 am: 23% of 150508 checklists11 am: 21% of 131024 checklists12 pm: 20% of 116804 checklists1 pm: 20% of 112055 checklists2 pm: 20% of 110246 checklists3 pm: 22% of 104376 checklists4 pm: 27% of 83736 checklists5 pm: 33% of 63723 checklists6 pm: 36% 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
January0.9%1.1%1.0%1.1%
February1.5%4.7%8.3%18%
March28%36%40%41%
April43%46%48%52%
May54%54%56%56%
June54%54%53%51%
July47%43%38%34%
August30%27%25%23%
September20%17%15%14%
October15%16%18%16%
November10%5.9%3.4%2.1%
December1.5%1.4%1.6%1.1%

Neighboring states

  • Rhode Island: arrives early February, 1 week earlier than Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire: arrives late February, 2 weeks later than Massachusetts
  • Connecticut: arrives early March, 3 weeks later than Massachusetts
  • Vermont: arrives late February, 2 weeks later than Massachusetts

Common questions

When do Common Grackles arrive in Massachusetts?
Common Grackles reach Massachusetts in the second week of February, are common by early March, peak in late May (56% of checklists), and most are gone by early September.
When do Common Grackles leave Massachusetts?
Most Common Grackles have left Massachusetts by early September, 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 Common Grackle in Massachusetts?
The Common Grackle is reported most often in late May, on about 56% of Massachusetts checklists.
Where in Massachusetts are Common Grackles seen most often?
By county, Middlesex County, Suffolk County, and Norfolk County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Common Grackle (counties with at least 200 checklists).