WhenToBird

Quiscalus quiscula · Icteridae

When Do Common Grackles Arrive in North Carolina?

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

Common Grackles are in North Carolina all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from early March, peak in the second week of May (26% of checklists), and fall back by early July. In the quietest week (the second week of December) they are still on about 4.6% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMar 1-7early March
PeakMay 8-14the second week of May
Fall back byJul 1-7early July
FewestDec 8-14the second week of December

Best: the second week of May. Here all year; numbers build from early March and fall back by early July. Peak: on about 26% of North Carolina checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 4.6% of 30085 checklistsJan 8-14: 4.9% of 22728 checklistsJan 15-21: 5.2% of 24292 checklistsJan 22-31: 6.9% of 34122 checklistsFeb 1-7: 8.0% of 26352 checklistsFeb 8-14: 9.6% of 29663 checklistsFeb 15-21: 11% of 41515 checklistsFeb 22-28: 16% of 24318 checklistsMar 1-7: 17% of 23408 checklistsMar 8-14: 19% of 22658 checklistsMar 15-21: 17% of 22784 checklistsMar 22-31: 19% of 36034 checklistsApr 1-7: 20% of 28131 checklistsApr 8-14: 20% of 29190 checklistsApr 15-21: 23% of 32847 checklistsApr 22-30: 25% of 47966 checklistsMay 1-7: 27% of 37076 checklistsMay 8-14: 26% of 36228 checklistsMay 15-21: 25% of 30378 checklistsMay 22-31: 24% of 40237 checklistsJun 1-7: 23% of 27551 checklistsJun 8-14: 22% of 26473 checklistsJun 15-21: 21% of 22789 checklistsJun 22-30: 19% of 27615 checklistsJul 1-7: 17% of 20022 checklistsJul 8-14: 14% of 19315 checklistsJul 15-21: 12% of 18934 checklistsJul 22-31: 10% of 25600 checklistsAug 1-7: 9.3% of 17987 checklistsAug 8-14: 8.8% of 17307 checklistsAug 15-21: 7.8% of 17080 checklistsAug 22-31: 7.5% of 25844 checklistsSep 1-7: 6.3% of 20818 checklistsSep 8-14: 5.5% of 20070 checklistsSep 15-21: 4.7% of 21984 checklistsSep 22-30: 5.2% of 26979 checklistsOct 1-7: 6.8% of 22605 checklistsOct 8-14: 7.6% of 22677 checklistsOct 15-21: 10% of 21407 checklistsOct 22-31: 11% of 25927 checklistsNov 1-7: 11% of 18830 checklistsNov 8-14: 9.2% of 18418 checklistsNov 15-21: 8.3% of 19101 checklistsNov 22-30: 6.6% of 25709 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.9% of 18856 checklistsDec 8-14: 4.5% of 18745 checklistsDec 15-21: 4.6% of 22478 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.8% of 34796 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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hertford CountyBest the second week of March · 27 checklists that week, 1,343 in all86%
  2. Chowan CountyBest late April · 101 checklists that week, 2,544 in all82%
  3. Pasquotank CountyBest mid May · 38 checklists that week, 1,460 in all72%
  4. Perquimans CountyBest late April · 31 checklists that week, 605 in all65%
  5. Washington CountyBest the second week of May · 25 checklists that week, 3,065 in all64%
  6. Tyrrell CountyBest early May · 43 checklists that week, 2,289 in all61%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Chowan County - Pembroke Creek ParkChowan County, best late April · 24 checklists that week, 450 in all98%
  2. River Park NorthPitt County, best mid April · 37 checklists that week, 1,036 in all95%
  3. North BrevardTransylvania County, best late April · 20 checklists that week, 346 in all95%
  4. New Hanover County ParkNew Hanover County, best late May · 27 checklists that week, 1,171 in all93%
  5. City of Raleigh Greenway - Middle Crabtree Creek TrailWake County, best late May · 58 checklists that week, 2,060 in all93%
  6. City of Winston-Salem Open Space - CivitanForsyth County, best late May · 20 checklists that week, 742 in all91%

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

Best time of day

In North Carolina, the Common Grackle is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (21% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (520) to judge1 am: too few checklists (489) to judge2 am: too few checklists (442) to judge3 am: too few checklists (544) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1621) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9671) to judge6 am: 25% of 50335 checklists7 am: 20% of 150152 checklists8 am: 16% of 182902 checklists9 am: 13% of 158933 checklists10 am: 11% of 128398 checklists11 am: 9.7% of 98671 checklists12 pm: 9.5% of 78640 checklists1 pm: 9.6% of 72510 checklists2 pm: 9.9% of 69179 checklists3 pm: 11% of 67669 checklists4 pm: 12% of 63964 checklists5 pm: 14% of 48520 checklists6 pm: 16% of 33196 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (19700) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (6160) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1943) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1119) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (651) 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
January4.6%4.9%5.2%6.9%
February8.0%9.6%11%16%
March17%19%17%19%
April20%20%23%25%
May27%26%25%24%
June23%22%21%19%
July17%14%12%10%
August9.3%8.8%7.8%7.5%
September6.3%5.5%4.7%5.2%
October6.8%7.6%10%11%
November11%9.2%8.3%6.6%
December4.9%4.5%4.6%4.8%

Neighboring states

  • South Carolina: arrives the second week of March, 1 week later than North Carolina
  • Virginia: arrives early March, in the same week than North Carolina
  • West Virginia: arrives the second week of February, 3 weeks earlier than North Carolina
  • District of Columbia: arrives the second week of January, 7 weeks earlier than North Carolina

Common questions

When do Common Grackles arrive in North Carolina?
Common Grackles are in North Carolina all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from early March, peak in the second week of May (26% of checklists), and fall back by early July. In the quietest week (the second week of December) they are still on about 4.6% of checklists.
When do Common Grackles leave North Carolina?
Common Grackles never fully leave North Carolina: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by early July, but some are still reported in every week, about 4.6% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Common Grackle in North Carolina?
The Common Grackle is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 26% of North Carolina checklists.
Where in North Carolina are Common Grackles seen most often?
By county, Hertford County, Chowan County, and Pasquotank County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Common Grackle (counties with at least 200 checklists).