WhenToBird

Corvus ossifragus · Corvidae

When Do Fish Crows Arrive in Pennsylvania?

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

Fish Crows are in Pennsylvania all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from the second week of March, peak in the second week of April (15% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of May. In the quietest week (the second week of December) they are still on about 2.5% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMar 8-14the second week of March
PeakApr 8-14the second week of April
Fall back byMay 8-14the second week of May
FewestDec 8-14the second week of December

Best: the second week of April. Here all year; numbers build from the second week of March and fall back by the second week of May. Peak: on about 15% of Pennsylvania checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 3.0% of 47145 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.9% of 35840 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.6% of 35423 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.0% of 49126 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.4% of 36366 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.4% of 42248 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.8% of 55888 checklistsFeb 22-28: 6.4% of 42050 checklistsMar 1-7: 7.6% of 42709 checklistsMar 8-14: 9.6% of 43985 checklistsMar 15-21: 12% of 44547 checklistsMar 22-31: 13% of 66940 checklistsApr 1-7: 14% of 51147 checklistsApr 8-14: 15% of 54868 checklistsApr 15-21: 15% of 57252 checklistsApr 22-30: 13% of 81727 checklistsMay 1-7: 10% of 76472 checklistsMay 8-14: 8.7% of 79341 checklistsMay 15-21: 8.8% of 61724 checklistsMay 22-31: 8.2% of 70722 checklistsJun 1-7: 7.9% of 45652 checklistsJun 8-14: 7.5% of 41810 checklistsJun 15-21: 8.1% of 38973 checklistsJun 22-30: 8.6% of 44255 checklistsJul 1-7: 9.0% of 34822 checklistsJul 8-14: 9.5% of 31104 checklistsJul 15-21: 9.4% of 29262 checklistsJul 22-31: 9.7% of 41436 checklistsAug 1-7: 9.1% of 29189 checklistsAug 8-14: 8.7% of 28840 checklistsAug 15-21: 7.5% of 29948 checklistsAug 22-31: 6.7% of 48235 checklistsSep 1-7: 5.5% of 37175 checklistsSep 8-14: 5.0% of 36527 checklistsSep 15-21: 4.4% of 37261 checklistsSep 22-30: 3.6% of 43583 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.8% of 35352 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.1% of 35560 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.7% of 33119 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.4% of 44654 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.7% of 32965 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.0% of 31305 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.8% of 29471 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.1% of 38642 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.5% of 28779 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.6% of 29486 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.5% of 37465 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.1% of 50651 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Montour CountyBest early April · 162 checklists that week, 6,082 in all40%
  2. Franklin CountyBest mid April · 913 checklists that week, 36,756 in all31%
  3. Mifflin CountyBest late March · 210 checklists that week, 6,998 in all31%
  4. Bucks CountyBest the second week of April · 2228 checklists that week, 95,030 in all31%
  5. Cumberland CountyBest the second week of April · 1313 checklists that week, 50,879 in all27%
  6. Berks CountyBest the second week of April · 1588 checklists that week, 61,798 in all27%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Victory ParkMifflin County, best late March · 59 checklists that week, 760 in all88%
  2. F. M. Kirby ParkLuzerne County, best late April · 21 checklists that week, 254 in all87%
  3. Lower LakeMonroe County, best the second week of April · 31 checklists that week, 1,218 in all82%
  4. Big Spring CreekCumberland County, best the second week of April · 29 checklists that week, 1,087 in all81%

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

Best time of day

In Pennsylvania, the Fish Crow is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (11% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (1558) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1136) to judge2 am: too few checklists (839) to judge3 am: too few checklists (842) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2550) to judge5 am: too few checklists (18294) to judge6 am: 14% of 92903 checklists7 am: 9.5% of 241233 checklists8 am: 8.4% of 271994 checklists9 am: 7.6% of 236842 checklists10 am: 6.8% of 199508 checklists11 am: 6.1% of 161893 checklists12 pm: 6.0% of 143945 checklists1 pm: 5.9% of 134352 checklists2 pm: 6.0% of 129692 checklists3 pm: 5.6% of 126132 checklists4 pm: 5.7% of 115055 checklists5 pm: 6.2% of 90719 checklists6 pm: 5.7% of 67534 checklists7 pm: 4.0% of 43004 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (13966) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (3913) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1989) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1146) 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
January3.0%2.9%2.6%3.0%
February3.4%3.4%3.8%6.4%
March7.6%9.6%12%13%
April14%15%15%13%
May10%8.7%8.8%8.2%
June7.9%7.5%8.1%8.6%
July9.0%9.5%9.4%9.7%
August9.1%8.7%7.5%6.7%
September5.5%5.0%4.4%3.6%
October3.8%3.1%3.7%3.4%
November3.7%3.0%2.8%3.1%
December2.5%2.6%2.5%3.1%

Neighboring states

  • Maryland: arrives the second week of March, in the same week than Pennsylvania
  • District of Columbia: arrives early March, 1 week earlier than Pennsylvania
  • Delaware: arrives mid March, 1 week later than Pennsylvania
  • New Jersey: arrives mid March, 1 week later than Pennsylvania

Common questions

When do Fish Crows arrive in Pennsylvania?
Fish Crows are in Pennsylvania all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from the second week of March, peak in the second week of April (15% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of May. In the quietest week (the second week of December) they are still on about 2.5% of checklists.
When do Fish Crows leave Pennsylvania?
Fish Crows never fully leave Pennsylvania: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by the second week of May, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.5% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Fish Crow in Pennsylvania?
The Fish Crow is reported most often in the second week of April, on about 15% of Pennsylvania checklists.
Where in Pennsylvania are Fish Crows seen most often?
By county, Montour County, Franklin County, and Mifflin County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Fish Crow (counties with at least 200 checklists).