WhenToBird

Cygnus olor · Anatidae

When Do Mute Swans Arrive in New York?

Adult Mute Swan
Photo: Radu Teodoreanu, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Mute Swan is in New York all year. It turns up on about 9.1% of checklists at its peak (the second week of January) and on 3.8% in its quietest week (late June).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekJan 8-14the second week of January
Quietest weekJun 22-30late June

Best: the second week of January. Here all year. Peak: on about 9.1% of New York checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 9.1% of 66410 checklistsJan 8-14: 9.5% of 49310 checklistsJan 15-21: 8.9% of 49919 checklistsJan 22-31: 8.9% of 62513 checklistsFeb 1-7: 8.7% of 43526 checklistsFeb 8-14: 7.5% of 49753 checklistsFeb 15-21: 6.9% of 65147 checklistsFeb 22-28: 8.9% of 50173 checklistsMar 1-7: 8.8% of 50325 checklistsMar 8-14: 8.3% of 55371 checklistsMar 15-21: 8.4% of 56293 checklistsMar 22-31: 8.5% of 82677 checklistsApr 1-7: 8.2% of 65295 checklistsApr 8-14: 7.8% of 73080 checklistsApr 15-21: 7.8% of 73857 checklistsApr 22-30: 6.9% of 106093 checklistsMay 1-7: 5.4% of 102772 checklistsMay 8-14: 4.8% of 110051 checklistsMay 15-21: 4.9% of 94797 checklistsMay 22-31: 4.9% of 101272 checklistsJun 1-7: 4.5% of 59471 checklistsJun 8-14: 4.2% of 55497 checklistsJun 15-21: 3.8% of 51761 checklistsJun 22-30: 3.8% of 59219 checklistsJul 1-7: 4.0% of 48226 checklistsJul 8-14: 4.1% of 42315 checklistsJul 15-21: 4.2% of 40637 checklistsJul 22-31: 5.1% of 57183 checklistsAug 1-7: 5.4% of 40461 checklistsAug 8-14: 5.5% of 39880 checklistsAug 15-21: 6.0% of 41146 checklistsAug 22-31: 5.8% of 63381 checklistsSep 1-7: 6.1% of 48640 checklistsSep 8-14: 5.9% of 47882 checklistsSep 15-21: 6.1% of 49063 checklistsSep 22-30: 6.2% of 57906 checklistsOct 1-7: 6.5% of 48447 checklistsOct 8-14: 6.4% of 51901 checklistsOct 15-21: 7.2% of 46717 checklistsOct 22-31: 7.0% of 61992 checklistsNov 1-7: 8.2% of 44593 checklistsNov 8-14: 7.7% of 42566 checklistsNov 15-21: 8.2% of 39675 checklistsNov 22-30: 8.6% of 51197 checklistsDec 1-7: 8.2% of 36567 checklistsDec 8-14: 7.8% of 37254 checklistsDec 15-21: 7.1% of 43754 checklistsDec 22-31: 7.6% of 62470 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 New York 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 New York

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Queens CountyBest the second week of August · 1254 checklists that week, 76,201 in all43%
  2. Kings CountyBest early April · 3526 checklists that week, 134,897 in all28%
  3. Suffolk CountyBest the second week of April · 4509 checklists that week, 208,865 in all27%
  4. Cayuga CountyBest the second week of November · 273 checklists that week, 20,184 in all26%
  5. Nassau CountyBest late March · 2602 checklists that week, 95,019 in all24%
  6. Monroe CountyBest the second week of October · 2816 checklists that week, 166,009 in all22%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Titicus RiverWestchester County, best mid January · 21 checklists that week, 228 in all100%
  2. Tucker PlaceKings County, best mid February · 56 checklists that week, 914 in all99%
  3. Fair Haven Beach State ParkCayuga County, best mid March · 22 checklists that week, 1,095 in all99%
  4. Setauket HarborSuffolk County, best mid January · 20 checklists that week, 578 in all99%
  5. Smithtown Greenbelt County ParkSuffolk County, best early March · 24 checklists that week, 821 in all98%
  6. Mill Pond (Beekman Beach)Nassau County, best mid January · 35 checklists that week, 324 in all98%

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

Best time of day

In New York, the Mute Swan is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (7.7% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%12 am: too few checklists (1146) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1055) to judge2 am: too few checklists (1121) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1353) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4785) to judge5 am: too few checklists (32052) to judge6 am: 5.5% of 124869 checklists7 am: 5.4% of 298506 checklists8 am: 6.2% of 337334 checklists9 am: 7.1% of 307787 checklists10 am: 7.5% of 270801 checklists11 am: 8.0% of 233238 checklists12 pm: 7.5% of 213830 checklists1 pm: 7.7% of 193321 checklists2 pm: 7.6% of 180741 checklists3 pm: 7.5% of 170348 checklists4 pm: 6.9% of 147224 checklists5 pm: 5.5% of 111962 checklists6 pm: 4.4% of 78261 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (44425) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (15648) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4795) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2454) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1378) 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
January9.1%9.5%8.9%8.9%
February8.7%7.5%6.9%8.9%
March8.8%8.3%8.4%8.5%
April8.2%7.8%7.8%6.9%
May5.4%4.8%4.9%4.9%
June4.5%4.2%3.8%3.8%
July4.0%4.1%4.2%5.1%
August5.4%5.5%6.0%5.8%
September6.1%5.9%6.1%6.2%
October6.5%6.4%7.2%7.0%
November8.2%7.7%8.2%8.6%
December8.2%7.8%7.1%7.6%

Neighboring states

Common questions

When do Mute Swans arrive in New York?
The Mute Swan is in New York all year. It turns up on about 9.1% of checklists at its peak (the second week of January) and on 3.8% in its quietest week (late June).
When do Mute Swans leave New York?
The Mute Swan does not leave New York: it is reported all year, from 3.8% of checklists in late June to 9.1% in the second week of January.
When is the best time to see a Mute Swan in New York?
The Mute Swan is reported most often in the second week of January, on about 9.1% of New York checklists.
Where in New York are Mute Swans seen most often?
By county, Queens County, Kings County, and Suffolk County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Mute Swan (counties with at least 200 checklists).