WhenToBird

Corvus ossifragus · Corvidae

When Do Fish Crows Arrive in Massachusetts?

Adult Fish Crow
Photo: Laura Mae, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Fish Crows reach Massachusetts in mid January, are common by early March, peak in the second week of April (8.4% of checklists), and most are gone by late August.

When to look

First arrivalsJan 15-21mid January
Common byMar 1-7early March
PeakApr 8-14the second week of April
Most gone byAug 22-31late August

Best: the second week of April. First arrivals mid January; most are gone by late August. Peak: on about 8.4% of Massachusetts checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novrare
  12. Decrare

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 0.8% of 43252 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.9% of 30096 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.0% of 28760 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.1% of 38135 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.3% of 26442 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.6% of 29034 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.5% of 37383 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.4% of 29977 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.0% of 29175 checklistsMar 8-14: 4.4% of 32399 checklistsMar 15-21: 5.7% of 34444 checklistsMar 22-31: 6.8% of 49126 checklistsApr 1-7: 8.1% of 36456 checklistsApr 8-14: 8.7% of 40908 checklistsApr 15-21: 8.4% of 42078 checklistsApr 22-30: 7.9% of 56465 checklistsMay 1-7: 6.9% of 56994 checklistsMay 8-14: 6.0% of 64079 checklistsMay 15-21: 5.6% of 52020 checklistsMay 22-31: 5.2% of 55402 checklistsJun 1-7: 5.1% of 30682 checklistsJun 8-14: 5.5% of 27557 checklistsJun 15-21: 5.7% of 26163 checklistsJun 22-30: 5.6% of 29576 checklistsJul 1-7: 6.1% of 23931 checklistsJul 8-14: 6.1% of 22389 checklistsJul 15-21: 6.2% of 22365 checklistsJul 22-31: 6.7% of 32631 checklistsAug 1-7: 5.8% of 25133 checklistsAug 8-14: 4.9% of 24610 checklistsAug 15-21: 3.8% of 25350 checklistsAug 22-31: 3.0% of 37198 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.9% of 27402 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.4% of 27700 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.0% of 28398 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.8% of 34646 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.7% of 28620 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.5% of 30144 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.5% of 28893 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.4% of 38869 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.2% of 29782 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.9% of 27582 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.8% of 26642 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.9% of 34390 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.8% of 25164 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.7% of 24892 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.2% of 29022 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.8% 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. Barnstable CountyBest mid April · 4310 checklists that week, 215,188 in all21%
  2. Plymouth CountyBest mid April · 2305 checklists that week, 89,282 in all19%
  3. Bristol CountyBest mid April · 1670 checklists that week, 65,262 in all16%
  4. Hampden CountyBest the second week of April · 973 checklists that week, 35,410 in all12%
  5. Norfolk CountyBest the second week of April · 3017 checklists that week, 114,756 in all11%
  6. Essex CountyBest mid April · 5606 checklists that week, 213,973 in all6.8%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Attaquin ParkBarnstable County, best the second week of June · 22 checklists that week, 1,849 in all75%
  2. Santuit PondBarnstable County, best early April · 129 checklists that week, 2,736 in all71%
  3. Bear Meadow Conservation AreaMiddlesex County, best early May · 22 checklists that week, 163 in all70%
  4. Morton ParkPlymouth County, best the second week of May · 20 checklists that week, 344 in all62%
  5. Wellfleet Town PierBarnstable County, best late March · 23 checklists that week, 523 in all61%

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

Best time of day

In Massachusetts, the Fish Crow is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (5.7% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%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: 7.2% of 108601 checklists7 am: 4.9% of 186104 checklists8 am: 4.1% of 185905 checklists9 am: 3.7% of 166049 checklists10 am: 3.2% of 150508 checklists11 am: 3.1% of 131024 checklists12 pm: 3.0% of 116804 checklists1 pm: 2.8% of 112055 checklists2 pm: 2.8% of 110246 checklists3 pm: 2.9% of 104376 checklists4 pm: 3.3% of 83736 checklists5 pm: 3.5% of 63723 checklists6 pm: 3.3% 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
January0.8%0.9%1.0%1.1%
February1.3%1.6%1.5%2.4%
March3.0%4.4%5.7%6.8%
April8.1%8.7%8.4%7.9%
May6.9%6.0%5.6%5.2%
June5.1%5.5%5.7%5.6%
July6.1%6.1%6.2%6.7%
August5.8%4.9%3.8%3.0%
September2.9%2.4%2.0%1.8%
October1.7%1.5%1.5%1.4%
November1.2%0.9%0.8%0.9%
December0.8%0.7%1.2%0.8%

Neighboring states

  • Rhode Island: arrives late January, 1 week later than Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire: arrives early March, 6 weeks later than Massachusetts
  • Connecticut: arrives the second week of March, 7 weeks later than Massachusetts
  • Maine: arrives mid March, 8 weeks later than Massachusetts

Common questions

When do Fish Crows arrive in Massachusetts?
Fish Crows reach Massachusetts in mid January, are common by early March, peak in the second week of April (8.4% of checklists), and most are gone by late August.
When do Fish Crows leave Massachusetts?
Most Fish Crows have left Massachusetts by late August, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early November.
When is the best time to see a Fish Crow in Massachusetts?
The Fish Crow is reported most often in the second week of April, on about 8.4% of Massachusetts checklists.
Where in Massachusetts are Fish Crows seen most often?
By county, Barnstable County, Plymouth County, and Bristol County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Fish Crow (counties with at least 200 checklists).