WhenToBird

Anas crecca · Anatidae

When Do Green-winged Teals Arrive in Massachusetts?

Adult Green-winged Teal
Photo: Mark, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Green-winged Teals are winter birds in Massachusetts: the first arrive in mid August, they are common by late August, peak in late March (8.7% of checklists), and most are gone by early May.

When to look

First arrivalsAug 15-21mid August
Common byAug 22-31late August
PeakMar 22-31late March
Most gone byMay 1-7early May

Best: late March. First arrivals mid August; most are gone by early May. Peak: on about 8.7% of Massachusetts checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junrare
  7. Julrare
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 1.6% of 43252 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.5% of 30096 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.1% of 28760 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.2% of 38135 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.2% of 26442 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.3% of 29034 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.5% of 37383 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.4% of 29977 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.3% of 29175 checklistsMar 8-14: 5.6% of 32399 checklistsMar 15-21: 7.5% of 34444 checklistsMar 22-31: 9.1% of 49126 checklistsApr 1-7: 9.2% of 36456 checklistsApr 8-14: 7.7% of 40908 checklistsApr 15-21: 6.0% of 42078 checklistsApr 22-30: 4.1% of 56465 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.9% of 56994 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.7% of 64079 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.4% of 52020 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.5% of 55402 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.5% of 30682 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.5% of 27557 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.4% of 26163 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.4% of 29576 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.4% of 23931 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.3% of 22389 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.4% of 22365 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.4% of 32631 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.6% of 25133 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.8% of 24610 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.4% of 25350 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.9% of 37198 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.6% of 27402 checklistsSep 8-14: 3.2% of 27700 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.8% of 28398 checklistsSep 22-30: 3.9% of 34646 checklistsOct 1-7: 4.5% of 28620 checklistsOct 8-14: 5.3% of 30144 checklistsOct 15-21: 5.8% of 28893 checklistsOct 22-31: 6.5% of 38869 checklistsNov 1-7: 6.8% of 29782 checklistsNov 8-14: 6.2% of 27582 checklistsNov 15-21: 5.4% of 26642 checklistsNov 22-30: 4.3% of 34390 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.4% of 25164 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.2% of 24892 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.6% of 29022 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.4% 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. Hampden CountyBest late October · 891 checklists that week, 35,410 in all19%
  2. Essex CountyBest early April · 4936 checklists that week, 213,973 in all15%
  3. Nantucket CountyBest late November · 448 checklists that week, 23,895 in all12%
  4. Worcester CountyBest late March · 4093 checklists that week, 128,594 in all11%
  5. Plymouth CountyBest late March · 2692 checklists that week, 89,282 in all9.4%
  6. Hampshire CountyBest late March · 4946 checklists that week, 162,423 in all9.3%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge (Great Pond)Hampshire County, best late March · 164 checklists that week, 1,656 in all87%
  2. Arlington ReservoirMiddlesex County, best early November · 287 checklists that week, 6,020 in all86%
  3. Topsfield FairgroundsEssex County, best early April · 153 checklists that week, 2,143 in all85%
  4. Bolton Flats Wildlife Management AreaWorcester County, best the second week of April · 237 checklists that week, 4,028 in all82%

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

Best time of day

In Massachusetts, the Green-winged Teal is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (3.2% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%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: 2.9% of 108601 checklists7 am: 3.0% of 186104 checklists8 am: 3.2% of 185905 checklists9 am: 3.2% of 166049 checklists10 am: 3.2% of 150508 checklists11 am: 3.2% of 131024 checklists12 pm: 3.2% of 116804 checklists1 pm: 3.1% of 112055 checklists2 pm: 3.3% of 110246 checklists3 pm: 3.1% of 104376 checklists4 pm: 3.1% of 83736 checklists5 pm: 2.8% of 63723 checklists6 pm: 2.2% 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
January1.6%1.5%1.1%1.2%
February1.2%1.3%1.5%2.4%
March3.3%5.6%7.5%9.1%
April9.2%7.7%6.0%4.1%
May1.9%0.7%0.4%0.5%
June0.5%0.5%0.4%0.4%
July0.4%0.3%0.4%0.4%
August0.6%0.8%1.4%1.9%
September2.6%3.2%3.8%3.9%
October4.5%5.3%5.8%6.5%
November6.8%6.2%5.4%4.3%
December3.4%2.2%1.6%1.4%

Neighboring states

  • Rhode Island: arrives early September, 2 weeks later than Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire: arrives early March, 22 weeks earlier than Massachusetts
  • Connecticut: arrives early September, 2 weeks later than Massachusetts
  • Vermont: arrives early March, 22 weeks earlier than Massachusetts

Common questions

When do Green-winged Teals arrive in Massachusetts?
Green-winged Teals are winter birds in Massachusetts: the first arrive in mid August, they are common by late August, peak in late March (8.7% of checklists), and most are gone by early May.
When do Green-winged Teals leave Massachusetts?
Most Green-winged Teals have left Massachusetts by early May, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of May.
When is the best time to see a Green-winged Teal in Massachusetts?
The Green-winged Teal is reported most often in late March, on about 8.7% of Massachusetts checklists.
Where in Massachusetts are Green-winged Teals seen most often?
By county, Hampden County, Essex County, and Nantucket County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Green-winged Teal (counties with at least 200 checklists).