WhenToBird

Corvus corax · Corvidae

When Do Common Ravens Arrive in New York?

Adult Common Raven
Photo: Mila C., CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Common Raven is in New York all year. It turns up on about 9.6% of checklists at its peak (early October) and on 5.0% in its quietest week (late July).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekOct 1-7early October
Quietest weekJul 22-31late July

Best: early October. Here all year. Peak: on about 9.6% of New York checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 5.9% of 66410 checklistsJan 8-14: 5.5% of 49310 checklistsJan 15-21: 5.0% of 49919 checklistsJan 22-31: 5.6% of 62513 checklistsFeb 1-7: 5.6% of 43526 checklistsFeb 8-14: 5.8% of 49753 checklistsFeb 15-21: 5.0% of 65147 checklistsFeb 22-28: 6.0% of 50173 checklistsMar 1-7: 6.0% of 50325 checklistsMar 8-14: 6.3% of 55371 checklistsMar 15-21: 6.1% of 56293 checklistsMar 22-31: 6.0% of 82677 checklistsApr 1-7: 6.3% of 65295 checklistsApr 8-14: 6.5% of 73080 checklistsApr 15-21: 7.2% of 73857 checklistsApr 22-30: 7.2% of 106093 checklistsMay 1-7: 6.9% of 102772 checklistsMay 8-14: 6.5% of 110051 checklistsMay 15-21: 6.4% of 94797 checklistsMay 22-31: 6.1% of 101272 checklistsJun 1-7: 5.6% of 59471 checklistsJun 8-14: 5.8% of 55497 checklistsJun 15-21: 5.5% of 51761 checklistsJun 22-30: 5.2% of 59219 checklistsJul 1-7: 5.7% of 48226 checklistsJul 8-14: 5.2% of 42315 checklistsJul 15-21: 5.1% of 40637 checklistsJul 22-31: 4.9% of 57183 checklistsAug 1-7: 5.1% of 40461 checklistsAug 8-14: 5.7% of 39880 checklistsAug 15-21: 6.3% of 41146 checklistsAug 22-31: 7.0% of 63381 checklistsSep 1-7: 7.5% of 48640 checklistsSep 8-14: 8.5% of 47882 checklistsSep 15-21: 9.1% of 49063 checklistsSep 22-30: 9.5% of 57906 checklistsOct 1-7: 9.8% of 48447 checklistsOct 8-14: 9.5% of 51901 checklistsOct 15-21: 9.2% of 46717 checklistsOct 22-31: 8.9% of 61992 checklistsNov 1-7: 8.7% of 44593 checklistsNov 8-14: 8.0% of 42566 checklistsNov 15-21: 7.4% of 39675 checklistsNov 22-30: 7.2% of 51197 checklistsDec 1-7: 6.8% of 36567 checklistsDec 8-14: 6.6% of 37254 checklistsDec 15-21: 6.6% of 43754 checklistsDec 22-31: 6.5% of 62470 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 York 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 New York

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hamilton CountyBest the second week of January · 70 checklists that week, 13,964 in all44%
  2. Franklin CountyBest early February · 280 checklists that week, 20,717 in all35%
  3. Lewis CountyBest early October · 73 checklists that week, 5,920 in all34%
  4. Washington CountyBest late September · 186 checklists that week, 15,060 in all34%
  5. Chenango CountyBest early September · 101 checklists that week, 10,785 in all33%
  6. Essex CountyBest early October · 588 checklists that week, 36,374 in all29%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Rockland Lake State Park (Hook Mountain)Rockland County, best late October · 21 checklists that week, 246 in all89%
  2. Minnewaska State Park PreserveUlster County, best mid September · 27 checklists that week, 334 in all85%
  3. Mohonk PreserveUlster County, best late September · 21 checklists that week, 159 in all82%
  4. Town of Putnam LandWashington County, best mid April · 20 checklists that week, 855 in all81%

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

Best time of day

In New York, the Common Raven is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (8.7% of those checklists).

0%5%10%12 am: too few checklists (1146) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1055) to judge2 am: too few checklists (1121) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1353) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4785) to judge5 am: too few checklists (32052) to judge6 am: 9.6% of 124869 checklists7 am: 8.4% of 298506 checklists8 am: 7.7% of 337334 checklists9 am: 7.7% of 307787 checklists10 am: 7.5% of 270801 checklists11 am: 7.0% of 233238 checklists12 pm: 6.4% of 213830 checklists1 pm: 6.0% of 193321 checklists2 pm: 5.4% of 180741 checklists3 pm: 4.9% of 170348 checklists4 pm: 4.0% of 147224 checklists5 pm: 3.8% of 111962 checklists6 pm: 3.3% of 78261 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (44425) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (15648) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4795) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2454) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1378) 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
January5.9%5.5%5.0%5.6%
February5.6%5.8%5.0%6.0%
March6.0%6.3%6.1%6.0%
April6.3%6.5%7.2%7.2%
May6.9%6.5%6.4%6.1%
June5.6%5.8%5.5%5.2%
July5.7%5.2%5.1%4.9%
August5.1%5.7%6.3%7.0%
September7.5%8.5%9.1%9.5%
October9.8%9.5%9.2%8.9%
November8.7%8.0%7.4%7.2%
December6.8%6.6%6.6%6.5%

Neighboring states

  • Connecticut: all year, most in fall, peaks the second week of October
  • New Jersey: all year, most in fall, peaks the second week of November
  • Pennsylvania: year-round, peaks late October
  • Vermont: year-round, peaks early October

Common questions

When do Common Ravens arrive in New York?
The Common Raven is in New York all year. It turns up on about 9.6% of checklists at its peak (early October) and on 5.0% in its quietest week (late July).
When do Common Ravens leave New York?
The Common Raven does not leave New York: it is reported all year, from 5.0% of checklists in late July to 9.6% in early October.
When is the best time to see a Common Raven in New York?
The Common Raven is reported most often in early October, on about 9.6% of New York checklists.
Where in New York are Common Ravens seen most often?
By county, Hamilton County, Franklin County, and Lewis County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Common Raven (counties with at least 200 checklists).