WhenToBird

Haemorhous purpureus · Fringillidae

When Do Purple Finches Arrive in Massachusetts?

Adult Purple Finch
Photo: Dani Alba, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Purple Finches are winter birds in Massachusetts: they arrive in early September, peak in late October (5.8% of checklists), and most are gone by late February.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 1-7early September
Common bySep 1-7early September
PeakOct 22-31late October
Most gone byFeb 22-28late February

Best: late October. First arrivals early September; most are gone by late February. Peak: on about 5.8% of Massachusetts checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 1.1% of 43252 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.0% of 30096 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.2% of 28760 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.1% of 38135 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.2% of 26442 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.3% of 29034 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.2% of 37383 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.9% of 29977 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.9% of 29175 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.8% of 32399 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.8% of 34444 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.0% of 49126 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.4% of 36456 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.4% of 40908 checklistsApr 15-21: 3.5% of 42078 checklistsApr 22-30: 3.8% of 56465 checklistsMay 1-7: 3.7% of 56994 checklistsMay 8-14: 3.3% of 64079 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.7% of 52020 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.3% of 55402 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.0% of 30682 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.0% of 27557 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.1% of 26163 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.0% of 29576 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.7% of 23931 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.5% of 22389 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.2% of 22365 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.9% of 32631 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.8% of 25133 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.6% of 24610 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.6% of 25350 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.7% of 37198 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.4% of 27402 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.8% of 27700 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.6% of 28398 checklistsSep 22-30: 3.1% of 34646 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.5% of 28620 checklistsOct 8-14: 4.3% of 30144 checklistsOct 15-21: 5.8% of 28893 checklistsOct 22-31: 6.4% of 38869 checklistsNov 1-7: 5.0% of 29782 checklistsNov 8-14: 4.1% of 27582 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.9% of 26642 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.3% of 34390 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.8% of 25164 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.6% of 24892 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.5% 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. Franklin CountyBest mid October · 742 checklists that week, 41,382 in all11%
  2. Berkshire CountyBest late April · 3552 checklists that week, 92,890 in all11%
  3. Hampshire CountyBest late October · 4201 checklists that week, 162,423 in all9.7%
  4. Worcester CountyBest mid October · 2259 checklists that week, 128,594 in all8.5%
  5. Essex CountyBest the second week of May · 8595 checklists that week, 213,973 in all8.4%
  6. Hampden CountyBest early November · 620 checklists that week, 35,410 in all7.1%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Mount Greylock State ReservationBerkshire County, best the second week of June · 27 checklists that week, 240 in all68%
  2. Cole Neck Road Conservation AreaBarnstable County, best early February · 21 checklists that week, 206 in all63%
  3. Hate CoveEssex County, best the second week of May · 446 checklists that week, 8,243 in all52%
  4. Plum BrookHampshire County, best late October · 26 checklists that week, 346 in all44%
  5. Parker River National Wildlife RefugeEssex County, best early May · 262 checklists that week, 7,321 in all42%

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

Best time of day

In Massachusetts, the Purple Finch is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (3.9% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%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: 4.0% of 108601 checklists7 am: 3.8% of 186104 checklists8 am: 3.1% of 185905 checklists9 am: 2.4% of 166049 checklists10 am: 2.0% of 150508 checklists11 am: 1.7% of 131024 checklists12 pm: 1.5% of 116804 checklists1 pm: 1.4% of 112055 checklists2 pm: 1.2% of 110246 checklists3 pm: 1.1% of 104376 checklists4 pm: 1.2% of 83736 checklists5 pm: 1.1% of 63723 checklists6 pm: 1.0% 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
January1.1%1.0%1.2%1.1%
February1.2%1.3%1.2%0.9%
March0.9%0.8%0.8%1.0%
April1.4%2.4%3.5%3.8%
May3.7%3.3%2.7%2.3%
June2.0%2.0%2.1%2.0%
July1.7%1.5%1.2%0.9%
August0.8%0.6%0.6%0.7%
September1.4%1.8%2.6%3.1%
October3.5%4.3%5.8%6.4%
November5.0%4.1%2.9%2.3%
December1.8%1.6%1.5%1.4%

Neighboring states

  • Rhode Island: arrives the second week of September, 1 week later than Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire: arrives mid January, 18 weeks later than Massachusetts
  • Connecticut: arrives late March, 21 weeks earlier than Massachusetts
  • Vermont: arrives the second week of April, 19 weeks earlier than Massachusetts

Common questions

When do Purple Finches arrive in Massachusetts?
Purple Finches are winter birds in Massachusetts: they arrive in early September, peak in late October (5.8% of checklists), and most are gone by late February.
When do Purple Finches leave Massachusetts?
Most Purple Finches have left Massachusetts by late February, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Purple Finch in Massachusetts?
The Purple Finch is reported most often in late October, on about 5.8% of Massachusetts checklists.
Where in Massachusetts are Purple Finches seen most often?
By county, Franklin County, Berkshire County, and Hampshire County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Purple Finch (counties with at least 200 checklists).