WhenToBird

Colaptes auratus · Picidae

When Do Northern Flickers Arrive in Massachusetts?

Adult male Northern Flicker
Photo: Ben, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Northern Flickers are in Massachusetts all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from early April, peak in mid April (36% of checklists), and fall back by late May. In the quietest week (the second week of February) they are still on about 7.4% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildApr 1-7early April
PeakApr 15-21mid April
Fall back byMay 22-31late May
FewestFeb 8-14the second week of February

Best: mid April. Here all year; numbers build from early April and fall back by late May. Peak: on about 36% of Massachusetts checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 8.5% of 43252 checklistsJan 8-14: 8.1% of 30096 checklistsJan 15-21: 7.7% of 28760 checklistsJan 22-31: 7.7% of 38135 checklistsFeb 1-7: 7.6% of 26442 checklistsFeb 8-14: 7.4% of 29034 checklistsFeb 15-21: 7.3% of 37383 checklistsFeb 22-28: 7.8% of 29977 checklistsMar 1-7: 8.1% of 29175 checklistsMar 8-14: 9.7% of 32399 checklistsMar 15-21: 12% of 34444 checklistsMar 22-31: 15% of 49126 checklistsApr 1-7: 23% of 36456 checklistsApr 8-14: 34% of 40908 checklistsApr 15-21: 37% of 42078 checklistsApr 22-30: 35% of 56465 checklistsMay 1-7: 32% of 56994 checklistsMay 8-14: 26% of 64079 checklistsMay 15-21: 24% of 52020 checklistsMay 22-31: 21% of 55402 checklistsJun 1-7: 20% of 30682 checklistsJun 8-14: 20% of 27557 checklistsJun 15-21: 21% of 26163 checklistsJun 22-30: 21% of 29576 checklistsJul 1-7: 21% of 23931 checklistsJul 8-14: 22% of 22389 checklistsJul 15-21: 22% of 22365 checklistsJul 22-31: 20% of 32631 checklistsAug 1-7: 19% of 25133 checklistsAug 8-14: 18% of 24610 checklistsAug 15-21: 18% of 25350 checklistsAug 22-31: 20% of 37198 checklistsSep 1-7: 24% of 27402 checklistsSep 8-14: 28% of 27700 checklistsSep 15-21: 33% of 28398 checklistsSep 22-30: 33% of 34646 checklistsOct 1-7: 30% of 28620 checklistsOct 8-14: 24% of 30144 checklistsOct 15-21: 21% of 28893 checklistsOct 22-31: 18% of 38869 checklistsNov 1-7: 16% of 29782 checklistsNov 8-14: 14% of 27582 checklistsNov 15-21: 13% of 26642 checklistsNov 22-30: 12% of 34390 checklistsDec 1-7: 11% of 25164 checklistsDec 8-14: 11% of 24892 checklistsDec 15-21: 12% of 29022 checklistsDec 22-31: 11% 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. Middlesex CountyBest mid April · 8408 checklists that week, 307,511 in all41%
  2. Hampden CountyBest late April · 1360 checklists that week, 35,410 in all40%
  3. Suffolk CountyBest mid April · 3066 checklists that week, 112,443 in all39%
  4. Norfolk CountyBest mid April · 3100 checklists that week, 114,756 in all39%
  5. Hampshire CountyBest mid April · 4381 checklists that week, 162,423 in all37%
  6. Barnstable CountyBest mid April · 4310 checklists that week, 215,188 in all37%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Wilbraham Middle SchoolHampden County, best the second week of September · 20 checklists that week, 499 in all100%
  2. Flax PondBarnstable County, best mid September · 54 checklists that week, 668 in all91%
  3. Locke FarmMiddlesex County, best late April · 20 checklists that week, 245 in all90%
  4. Forestdale CemeteryMiddlesex County, best mid April · 23 checklists that week, 487 in all86%
  5. Franklin Park (Scarboro Hill)Suffolk County, best late June · 32 checklists that week, 1,845 in all86%
  6. Wilburite CornerBristol County, best the second week of October · 20 checklists that week, 505 in all85%

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

Best time of day

In Massachusetts, the Northern Flicker is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (30% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%40%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: 32% of 108601 checklists7 am: 28% of 186104 checklists8 am: 25% of 185905 checklists9 am: 21% of 166049 checklists10 am: 17% of 150508 checklists11 am: 14% of 131024 checklists12 pm: 14% of 116804 checklists1 pm: 13% of 112055 checklists2 pm: 14% of 110246 checklists3 pm: 13% of 104376 checklists4 pm: 15% of 83736 checklists5 pm: 17% of 63723 checklists6 pm: 15% 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
January8.5%8.1%7.7%7.7%
February7.6%7.4%7.3%7.8%
March8.1%9.7%12%15%
April23%34%37%35%
May32%26%24%21%
June20%20%21%21%
July21%22%22%20%
August19%18%18%20%
September24%28%33%33%
October30%24%21%18%
November16%14%13%12%
December11%11%12%11%

Neighboring states

  • Rhode Island: arrives mid September, 22 weeks later than Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire: arrives mid March, 2 weeks earlier than Massachusetts
  • Connecticut: arrives early September, 20 weeks later than Massachusetts
  • Vermont: arrives early March, 4 weeks earlier than Massachusetts

Common questions

When do Northern Flickers arrive in Massachusetts?
Northern Flickers are in Massachusetts all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from early April, peak in mid April (36% of checklists), and fall back by late May. In the quietest week (the second week of February) they are still on about 7.4% of checklists.
When do Northern Flickers leave Massachusetts?
Northern Flickers never fully leave Massachusetts: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by late May, but some are still reported in every week, about 7.4% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Northern Flicker in Massachusetts?
The Northern Flicker is reported most often in mid April, on about 36% of Massachusetts checklists.
Where in Massachusetts are Northern Flickers seen most often?
By county, Middlesex County, Hampden County, and Suffolk County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Flicker (counties with at least 200 checklists).