WhenToBird

Tyrannus tyrannus · Tyrannidae

When Do Eastern Kingbirds Arrive in Massachusetts?

Adult Eastern Kingbird
Photo: Mary Krieger, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Eastern Kingbirds reach Massachusetts in late April, are common by the second week of May, peak in late May (25% of checklists), and most are gone by mid August.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 22-30late April
Common byMay 8-14the second week of May
PeakMay 22-31late May
Most gone byAug 15-21mid August

Best: late May. First arrivals late April; most are gone by mid August. Peak: on about 25% of Massachusetts checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octnot usually seen
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 0% of 43252 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 30096 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 28760 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 38135 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 26442 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 29034 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 37383 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 29977 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 29175 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 32399 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 34444 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 49126 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 36456 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 40908 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 42078 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.0% of 56465 checklistsMay 1-7: 10% of 56994 checklistsMay 8-14: 18% of 64079 checklistsMay 15-21: 25% of 52020 checklistsMay 22-31: 26% of 55402 checklistsJun 1-7: 22% of 30682 checklistsJun 8-14: 20% of 27557 checklistsJun 15-21: 21% of 26163 checklistsJun 22-30: 22% of 29576 checklistsJul 1-7: 22% of 23931 checklistsJul 8-14: 23% of 22389 checklistsJul 15-21: 23% of 22365 checklistsJul 22-31: 23% of 32631 checklistsAug 1-7: 23% of 25133 checklistsAug 8-14: 21% of 24610 checklistsAug 15-21: 16% of 25350 checklistsAug 22-31: 8.8% of 37198 checklistsSep 1-7: 3.3% of 27402 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.4% of 27700 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.4% of 28398 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.2% of 34646 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 28620 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 30144 checklistsOct 15-21: 0% of 28893 checklistsOct 22-31: 0% of 38869 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 29782 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 27582 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 26642 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 34390 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 25164 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 24892 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 29022 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% 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. Worcester CountyBest late July · 2380 checklists that week, 128,594 in all33%
  2. Berkshire CountyBest late July · 1867 checklists that week, 92,890 in all31%
  3. Essex CountyBest late May · 7201 checklists that week, 213,973 in all31%
  4. Hampshire CountyBest early July · 2499 checklists that week, 162,423 in all28%
  5. Middlesex CountyBest late July · 5263 checklists that week, 307,511 in all28%
  6. Barnstable CountyBest late May · 7268 checklists that week, 215,188 in all26%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Memorial Park BeachNorfolk County, best mid July · 33 checklists that week, 2,721 in all92%
  2. Hinckleys PondBarnstable County, best early June · 26 checklists that week, 847 in all91%
  3. Richmond Fen Wildlife Management AreaBerkshire County, best the second week of July · 21 checklists that week, 490 in all91%
  4. Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge (Great Pond)Hampshire County, best the second week of July · 21 checklists that week, 1,656 in all91%
  5. Frances A. Crane Wildlife Management AreaBarnstable County, best mid July · 98 checklists that week, 3,777 in all90%
  6. Foley FieldHampshire County, best late July · 126 checklists that week, 2,425 in all89%

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

Best time of day

In Massachusetts, the Eastern Kingbird is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (10% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%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: 13% of 108601 checklists7 am: 8.5% of 186104 checklists8 am: 7.4% of 185905 checklists9 am: 6.4% of 166049 checklists10 am: 5.4% of 150508 checklists11 am: 4.7% of 131024 checklists12 pm: 4.3% of 116804 checklists1 pm: 4.3% of 112055 checklists2 pm: 4.2% of 110246 checklists3 pm: 4.3% of 104376 checklists4 pm: 6.0% of 83736 checklists5 pm: 8.1% of 63723 checklists6 pm: 11% 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%0%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0%0%0%
April0%0.1%0.1%2.0%
May10%18%25%26%
June22%20%21%22%
July22%23%23%23%
August23%21%16%8.8%
September3.3%1.4%0.4%0.2%
October0.1%0.1%0%0%
November0.1%0%0%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Rhode Island: arrives late April, in the same week than Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire: arrives late April, in the same week than Massachusetts
  • Connecticut: arrives late April, in the same week than Massachusetts
  • Vermont: arrives late April, in the same week than Massachusetts

Common questions

When do Eastern Kingbirds arrive in Massachusetts?
Eastern Kingbirds reach Massachusetts in late April, are common by the second week of May, peak in late May (25% of checklists), and most are gone by mid August.
When do Eastern Kingbirds leave Massachusetts?
Most Eastern Kingbirds have left Massachusetts by mid August, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early September.
When is the best time to see a Eastern Kingbird in Massachusetts?
The Eastern Kingbird is reported most often in late May, on about 25% of Massachusetts checklists.
Where in Massachusetts are Eastern Kingbirds seen most often?
By county, Worcester County, Berkshire County, and Essex County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Eastern Kingbird (counties with at least 200 checklists).