WhenToBird

Histrionicus histrionicus · Anatidae

When Do Harlequin Ducks Arrive in Massachusetts?

Adult male Harlequin Duck
Photo: Dmitry Kulakov, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Harlequin Ducks are winter birds in Massachusetts: they arrive in early November, peak in late January (2.5% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.

When to look

First arrivalsNov 1-7early November
Common byNov 1-7early November
PeakJan 22-31late January
Most gone byMar 8-14the second week of March

Best: late January. First arrivals early November; most are gone by the second week of March. Peak: on about 2.5% of Massachusetts checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marcommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 1.9% of 43252 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.1% of 30096 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.7% of 28760 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.6% of 38135 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.3% of 26442 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.3% of 29034 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.5% of 37383 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.1% of 29977 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.3% of 29175 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.0% of 32399 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.0% of 34444 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.6% of 49126 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.6% of 36456 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.5% of 40908 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.4% of 42078 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.2% of 56465 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 56994 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 64079 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 52020 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 55402 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 30682 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.1% of 27557 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 26163 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 29576 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 23931 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 22389 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 22365 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 32631 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 25133 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 24610 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 25350 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 37198 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 27402 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 27700 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 28398 checklistsSep 22-30: 0% of 34646 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 28620 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 30144 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.2% of 28893 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.7% of 38869 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.3% of 29782 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.6% of 27582 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.8% of 26642 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.0% of 34390 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.9% of 25164 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.7% of 24892 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.5% of 29022 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.0% 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. Essex CountyBest mid February · 6257 checklists that week, 213,973 in all12%
  2. Dukes CountyBest the second week of December · 302 checklists that week, 23,670 in all8.1%
  3. Plymouth CountyBest early February · 1591 checklists that week, 89,282 in all3.9%
  4. Bristol CountyBest mid November · 1221 checklists that week, 65,262 in all3.4%
  5. Nantucket CountyBest late February · 402 checklists that week, 23,895 in all2.8%
  6. Franklin CountyBest the second week of January · 634 checklists that week, 41,382 in all2.1%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Andrews PointEssex County, best late December · 151 checklists that week, 3,044 in all98%
  2. Pigeon CoveEssex County, best mid February · 101 checklists that week, 1,032 in all97%
  3. Gully Point CoveEssex County, best mid January · 32 checklists that week, 810 in all92%
  4. Halibut PointEssex County, best early February · 129 checklists that week, 4,357 in all90%
  5. Well RockPlymouth County, best late November · 29 checklists that week, 753 in all89%
  6. Gull CoveEssex County, best mid February · 152 checklists that week, 1,462 in all88%

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

Best time of day

In Massachusetts, the Harlequin Duck is most often listed on checklists started between 12 and 2 pm (1.3% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%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: 0.3% of 108601 checklists7 am: 0.5% of 186104 checklists8 am: 0.7% of 185905 checklists9 am: 0.9% of 166049 checklists10 am: 1.1% of 150508 checklists11 am: 1.3% of 131024 checklists12 pm: 1.3% of 116804 checklists1 pm: 1.3% of 112055 checklists2 pm: 1.1% of 110246 checklists3 pm: 0.8% of 104376 checklists4 pm: 0.3% of 83736 checklists5 pm: 0.1% of 63723 checklists6 pm: 0.1% 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
January1.9%2.1%2.7%2.6%
February2.3%2.3%2.5%2.1%
March1.3%1.0%1.0%0.6%
April0.6%0.5%0.4%0.2%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0%0%0%0.1%
September0.1%0.1%0.1%0%
October0.1%0.1%0.2%0.7%
November1.3%1.6%1.8%2.0%
December1.9%1.7%1.5%2.0%

Neighboring states

  • Rhode Island: arrives mid October, 2 weeks earlier than Massachusetts
  • Maine: arrives early November, in the same week than Massachusetts
  • New Jersey: arrives late November, 3 weeks later than Massachusetts
  • Delaware: arrives mid November, 2 weeks later than Massachusetts

Common questions

When do Harlequin Ducks arrive in Massachusetts?
Harlequin Ducks are winter birds in Massachusetts: they arrive in early November, peak in late January (2.5% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.
When do Harlequin Ducks leave Massachusetts?
Most Harlequin Ducks have left Massachusetts by the second week of March, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Harlequin Duck in Massachusetts?
The Harlequin Duck is reported most often in late January, on about 2.5% of Massachusetts checklists.
Where in Massachusetts are Harlequin Ducks seen most often?
By county, Essex County, Dukes County, and Plymouth County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Harlequin Duck (counties with at least 200 checklists).