WhenToBird

Dumetella carolinensis · Mimidae

When Do Gray Catbirds Arrive in Massachusetts?

Adult Gray Catbird
Photo: Melanie Gaddy, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Gray Catbirds reach Massachusetts in late April, are common by early May, peak in mid May (63% of checklists), and most are gone by early October.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 22-30late April
Common byMay 1-7early May
PeakMay 15-21mid May
Most gone byOct 1-7early October

Best: mid May. First arrivals late April; most are gone by early October. Peak: on about 63% 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. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novrare
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%20%40%60%80%Jan 1-7: 1.7% of 43252 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.2% of 30096 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.1% of 28760 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.3% of 38135 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.2% of 26442 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.0% of 29034 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.8% of 37383 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.8% of 29977 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.7% of 29175 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.6% of 32399 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.7% of 34444 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.5% of 49126 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.5% of 36456 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.6% of 40908 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.9% of 42078 checklistsApr 22-30: 7.4% of 56465 checklistsMay 1-7: 43% of 56994 checklistsMay 8-14: 62% of 64079 checklistsMay 15-21: 67% of 52020 checklistsMay 22-31: 62% of 55402 checklistsJun 1-7: 57% of 30682 checklistsJun 8-14: 57% of 27557 checklistsJun 15-21: 58% of 26163 checklistsJun 22-30: 59% of 29576 checklistsJul 1-7: 56% of 23931 checklistsJul 8-14: 52% of 22389 checklistsJul 15-21: 51% of 22365 checklistsJul 22-31: 49% of 32631 checklistsAug 1-7: 49% of 25133 checklistsAug 8-14: 49% of 24610 checklistsAug 15-21: 48% of 25350 checklistsAug 22-31: 49% of 37198 checklistsSep 1-7: 49% of 27402 checklistsSep 8-14: 51% of 27700 checklistsSep 15-21: 49% of 28398 checklistsSep 22-30: 46% of 34646 checklistsOct 1-7: 36% of 28620 checklistsOct 8-14: 22% of 30144 checklistsOct 15-21: 10% of 28893 checklistsOct 22-31: 5.3% of 38869 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.2% of 29782 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.7% of 27582 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.2% of 26642 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.1% of 34390 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.9% of 25164 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.7% of 24892 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.4% of 29022 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.6% 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. Hampshire CountyBest mid May · 5225 checklists that week, 162,423 in all70%
  2. Nantucket CountyBest late May · 687 checklists that week, 23,895 in all67%
  3. Plymouth CountyBest late May · 2734 checklists that week, 89,282 in all67%
  4. Dukes CountyBest late May · 770 checklists that week, 23,670 in all66%
  5. Bristol CountyBest mid May · 1597 checklists that week, 65,262 in all65%
  6. Barnstable CountyBest mid May · 6161 checklists that week, 215,188 in all65%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Coles PondBarnstable County, best late May · 22 checklists that week, 258 in all100%
  2. Crane SwampWorcester County, best mid July · 24 checklists that week, 1,557 in all100%
  3. Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State ParkWorcester County, best late July · 30 checklists that week, 1,182 in all100%
  4. Clam PoolsBarnstable County, best mid May · 26 checklists that week, 272 in all100%

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

Best time of day

In Massachusetts, the Gray Catbird is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (36% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%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: 42% of 108601 checklists7 am: 32% of 186104 checklists8 am: 28% of 185905 checklists9 am: 24% of 166049 checklists10 am: 20% of 150508 checklists11 am: 18% of 131024 checklists12 pm: 16% of 116804 checklists1 pm: 15% of 112055 checklists2 pm: 15% of 110246 checklists3 pm: 16% of 104376 checklists4 pm: 21% of 83736 checklists5 pm: 27% of 63723 checklists6 pm: 33% 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
January1.7%1.2%1.1%1.3%
February1.2%1.0%0.8%0.8%
March0.7%0.6%0.7%0.5%
April0.5%0.6%0.9%7.4%
May43%62%67%62%
June57%57%58%59%
July56%52%51%49%
August49%49%48%49%
September49%51%49%46%
October36%22%10%5.3%
November3.2%2.7%2.2%2.1%
December1.9%1.7%2.4%2.6%

Neighboring states

  • Rhode Island: arrives mid April, 1 week earlier than Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire: arrives late April, in the same week than Massachusetts
  • Connecticut: arrives mid April, 1 week earlier than Massachusetts
  • Vermont: arrives late April, in the same week than Massachusetts

Common questions

When do Gray Catbirds arrive in Massachusetts?
Gray Catbirds reach Massachusetts in late April, are common by early May, peak in mid May (63% of checklists), and most are gone by early October.
When do Gray Catbirds leave Massachusetts?
Most Gray Catbirds have left Massachusetts by early October, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late October.
When is the best time to see a Gray Catbird in Massachusetts?
The Gray Catbird is reported most often in mid May, on about 63% of Massachusetts checklists.
Where in Massachusetts are Gray Catbirds seen most often?
By county, Hampshire County, Nantucket County, and Plymouth County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Gray Catbird (counties with at least 200 checklists).