WhenToBird

Sturnus vulgaris · Sturnidae

When Do European Starlings Arrive in Maine?

Adult female European Starling
Photo: egorbirder, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The European Starling is in Maine all year. It turns up on about 15% of checklists at its peak (late March) and on 6.1% in its quietest week (mid August).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekMar 22-31late March
Quietest weekAug 15-21mid August

Best: late March. Here all year. Peak: on about 15% of Maine checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 12% of 15499 checklistsJan 8-14: 11% of 11141 checklistsJan 15-21: 13% of 10729 checklistsJan 22-31: 13% of 15084 checklistsFeb 1-7: 15% of 9403 checklistsFeb 8-14: 13% of 11268 checklistsFeb 15-21: 13% of 14061 checklistsFeb 22-28: 15% of 9977 checklistsMar 1-7: 14% of 9649 checklistsMar 8-14: 15% of 11781 checklistsMar 15-21: 16% of 11613 checklistsMar 22-31: 16% of 17798 checklistsApr 1-7: 15% of 14638 checklistsApr 8-14: 15% of 16511 checklistsApr 15-21: 15% of 17164 checklistsApr 22-30: 14% of 22602 checklistsMay 1-7: 14% of 22556 checklistsMay 8-14: 15% of 27842 checklistsMay 15-21: 15% of 27748 checklistsMay 22-31: 14% of 38715 checklistsJun 1-7: 13% of 26916 checklistsJun 8-14: 13% of 23737 checklistsJun 15-21: 11% of 22733 checklistsJun 22-30: 10% of 28248 checklistsJul 1-7: 9.9% of 20290 checklistsJul 8-14: 9.3% of 18534 checklistsJul 15-21: 7.7% of 17319 checklistsJul 22-31: 6.5% of 22815 checklistsAug 1-7: 6.3% of 15004 checklistsAug 8-14: 6.3% of 14603 checklistsAug 15-21: 5.9% of 14972 checklistsAug 22-31: 6.2% of 19813 checklistsSep 1-7: 7.0% of 14567 checklistsSep 8-14: 8.1% of 14520 checklistsSep 15-21: 11% of 14339 checklistsSep 22-30: 13% of 16879 checklistsOct 1-7: 12% of 12959 checklistsOct 8-14: 11% of 13168 checklistsOct 15-21: 11% of 11184 checklistsOct 22-31: 13% of 13717 checklistsNov 1-7: 13% of 9823 checklistsNov 8-14: 11% of 9007 checklistsNov 15-21: 13% of 8528 checklistsNov 22-30: 12% of 10228 checklistsDec 1-7: 13% of 7505 checklistsDec 8-14: 13% of 7982 checklistsDec 15-21: 14% of 10455 checklistsDec 22-31: 12% of 14285 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 Maine 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 Maine

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Aroostook CountyBest early April · 211 checklists that week, 16,817 in all28%
  2. Kennebec CountyBest the second week of June · 1371 checklists that week, 48,185 in all25%
  3. Androscoggin CountyBest the second week of June · 373 checklists that week, 16,955 in all25%
  4. Lincoln CountyBest late May · 3553 checklists that week, 59,429 in all24%
  5. Cumberland CountyBest the second week of June · 3669 checklists that week, 169,501 in all22%
  6. York CountyBest early May · 3100 checklists that week, 101,844 in all21%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Stuart PondKennebec County, best the second week of June · 23 checklists that week, 340 in all83%
  2. Sandy Point Beach on Cousins IslandCumberland County, best early October · 48 checklists that week, 760 in all80%
  3. Eastern PromenadeCumberland County, best late May · 29 checklists that week, 1,074 in all80%

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

Best time of day

In Maine, the European Starling is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (17% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%12 am: too few checklists (510) to judge1 am: too few checklists (517) to judge2 am: too few checklists (581) to judge3 am: too few checklists (3242) to judge4 am: too few checklists (7221) to judge5 am: 14% of 19895 checklists6 am: 17% of 54578 checklists7 am: 18% of 92775 checklists8 am: 16% of 86962 checklists9 am: 13% of 78989 checklists10 am: 10% of 70954 checklists11 am: 9.6% of 59331 checklists12 pm: 9.2% of 50943 checklists1 pm: 9.2% of 49775 checklists2 pm: 9.3% of 49001 checklists3 pm: 10% of 43252 checklists4 pm: 10% of 33413 checklists5 pm: 10% of 25547 checklists6 pm: 9.4% of 18309 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (14287) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (5336) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2253) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1518) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (720) 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
January12%11%13%13%
February15%13%13%15%
March14%15%16%16%
April15%15%15%14%
May14%15%15%14%
June13%13%11%10%
July9.9%9.3%7.7%6.5%
August6.3%6.3%5.9%6.2%
September7.0%8.1%11%13%
October12%11%11%13%
November13%11%13%12%
December13%13%14%12%

Neighboring states

Common questions

When do European Starlings arrive in Maine?
The European Starling is in Maine all year. It turns up on about 15% of checklists at its peak (late March) and on 6.1% in its quietest week (mid August).
When do European Starlings leave Maine?
The European Starling does not leave Maine: it is reported all year, from 6.1% of checklists in mid August to 15% in late March.
When is the best time to see a European Starling in Maine?
The European Starling is reported most often in late March, on about 15% of Maine checklists.
Where in Maine are European Starlings seen most often?
By county, Aroostook County, Kennebec County, and Androscoggin County have the highest peak reporting rates for the European Starling (counties with at least 200 checklists).