WhenToBird

Setophaga americana · Parulidae

When Do Northern Parulas Arrive in Massachusetts?

Adult Northern Parula
Photo: Terry Woodward, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Northern Parulas mostly pass through Massachusetts: they arrive in mid April, peak in the second week of May (22% of checklists), and most are gone by early June.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 15-21mid April
Common byApr 15-21mid April
PeakMay 8-14the second week of May
Most gone byJun 1-7early June

Best: the second week of May. First arrivals mid April; most are gone by early June. Peak: on about 22% of Massachusetts checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junrare
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augrare
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 43252 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 30096 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 28760 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 38135 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 26442 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 29034 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 37383 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 29977 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 29175 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 32399 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 34444 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 49126 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 36456 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 40908 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 42078 checklistsApr 22-30: 3.0% of 56465 checklistsMay 1-7: 17% of 56994 checklistsMay 8-14: 25% of 64079 checklistsMay 15-21: 23% of 52020 checklistsMay 22-31: 5.4% of 55402 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.8% of 30682 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.3% of 27557 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.2% of 26163 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.2% 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: 0.1% of 25133 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 24610 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.2% of 25350 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.8% of 37198 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.4% of 27402 checklistsSep 8-14: 5.7% of 27700 checklistsSep 15-21: 7.1% of 28398 checklistsSep 22-30: 6.5% of 34646 checklistsOct 1-7: 4.0% of 28620 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.5% of 30144 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.4% of 28893 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.2% of 38869 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 29782 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 27582 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 26642 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 34390 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 25164 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 24892 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 29022 checklistsDec 22-31: 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. Suffolk CountyBest the second week of May · 4553 checklists that week, 112,443 in all31%
  2. Middlesex CountyBest the second week of May · 14184 checklists that week, 307,511 in all31%
  3. Essex CountyBest the second week of May · 8595 checklists that week, 213,973 in all29%
  4. Norfolk CountyBest the second week of May · 4357 checklists that week, 114,756 in all21%
  5. Hampshire CountyBest the second week of May · 6237 checklists that week, 162,423 in all20%
  6. Plymouth CountyBest the second week of May · 3472 checklists that week, 89,282 in all18%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Leverett PondSuffolk County, best the second week of May · 310 checklists that week, 2,911 in all83%
  2. Marblehead Neck Wildlife SanctuaryEssex County, best the second week of May · 336 checklists that week, 4,966 in all74%
  3. Halecyon LakeMiddlesex County, best the second week of May · 2222 checklists that week, 13,981 in all74%
  4. Flag PondEssex County, best mid May · 20 checklists that week, 147 in all74%
  5. Nahant Thicket Wildlife SanctuaryEssex County, best the second week of May · 81 checklists that week, 1,248 in all71%
  6. The CenaclesSuffolk County, best the second week of May · 23 checklists that week, 159 in all68%

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

Best time of day

In Massachusetts, the Northern Parula is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (6.8% of those checklists).

0%5%10%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: 8.7% of 108601 checklists7 am: 5.6% of 186104 checklists8 am: 4.0% of 185905 checklists9 am: 3.1% of 166049 checklists10 am: 2.4% of 150508 checklists11 am: 1.9% of 131024 checklists12 pm: 1.8% of 116804 checklists1 pm: 1.5% of 112055 checklists2 pm: 1.3% of 110246 checklists3 pm: 1.4% of 104376 checklists4 pm: 1.5% of 83736 checklists5 pm: 1.6% of 63723 checklists6 pm: 1.2% 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
January0.1%0%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0%0%0%
April0%0.1%0.1%3.0%
May17%25%23%5.4%
June0.8%0.3%0.2%0.2%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0.2%0.8%
September2.4%5.7%7.1%6.5%
October4.0%1.5%0.4%0.2%
November0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
December0.1%0.1%0.1%0%

Neighboring states

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

Common questions

When do Northern Parulas arrive in Massachusetts?
Northern Parulas mostly pass through Massachusetts: they arrive in mid April, peak in the second week of May (22% of checklists), and most are gone by early June.
When do Northern Parulas leave Massachusetts?
Most Northern Parulas have left Massachusetts by early June, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Northern Parula in Massachusetts?
The Northern Parula is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 22% of Massachusetts checklists.
Where in Massachusetts are Northern Parulas seen most often?
By county, Suffolk County, Middlesex County, and Essex County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Parula (counties with at least 200 checklists).