WhenToBird

Loxia curvirostra · Fringillidae

When Do Red Crossbills Arrive in Massachusetts?

Adult male Red Crossbill
Photo: Leslie Alanís, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Red Crossbills are winter birds in Massachusetts: they arrive in early November, peak in mid December (1.0% of checklists), and most are gone by late June.

When to look

First arrivalsNov 1-7early November
Common byNov 1-7early November
PeakDec 15-21mid December
Most gone byJun 22-30late June

Best: mid December. First arrivals early November; most are gone by late June. Peak: on about 1.0% of Massachusetts checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%Jan 1-7: 1.1% of 43252 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.8% of 30096 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.6% of 28760 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.8% of 38135 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.6% of 26442 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.6% of 29034 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.4% of 37383 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.7% of 29977 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.6% of 29175 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.6% of 32399 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.6% of 34444 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.6% of 49126 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.4% of 36456 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.4% of 40908 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.4% of 42078 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.4% of 56465 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.3% of 56994 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.3% of 64079 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.3% of 52020 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.3% of 55402 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.2% of 30682 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.2% of 27557 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.3% of 26163 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.3% of 29576 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.2% of 23931 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.2% of 22389 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.2% of 22365 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.4% of 32631 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.5% of 25133 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.6% of 24610 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.4% of 25350 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.5% of 37198 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.5% of 27402 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.4% of 27700 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.3% of 28398 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.2% of 34646 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.2% of 28620 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 30144 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 28893 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 38869 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.3% of 29782 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.7% of 27582 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.9% of 26642 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.0% of 34390 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.7% of 25164 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.1% of 24892 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.9% of 29022 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.0% 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Massachusetts

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Franklin CountyBest mid November · 645 checklists that week, 41,382 in all6.4%
  2. Essex CountyBest mid December · 3385 checklists that week, 213,973 in all2.7%
  3. Worcester CountyBest mid August · 1660 checklists that week, 128,594 in all2.6%
  4. Nantucket CountyBest the second week of January · 370 checklists that week, 23,895 in all2.0%
  5. Berkshire CountyBest the second week of December · 1313 checklists that week, 92,890 in all1.9%
  6. Hampshire CountyBest the second week of August · 2299 checklists that week, 162,423 in all1.5%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Montague Plains Wildlife Management AreaFranklin County, best mid November · 22 checklists that week, 951 in all70%
  2. J. C. Phillips SanctuaryEssex County, best late August · 24 checklists that week, 1,160 in all35%
  3. Salisbury Beach State ReservationEssex County, best mid December · 144 checklists that week, 5,019 in all35%
  4. Puffer PondMiddlesex County, best mid January · 21 checklists that week, 2,179 in all24%
  5. Locust Grove CemeteryEssex County, best the second week of August · 24 checklists that week, 224 in all23%

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

Best time of day

In Massachusetts, the Red Crossbill is most often listed on checklists started between 8 and 10 am (0.7% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%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: 0.6% of 108601 checklists7 am: 0.6% of 186104 checklists8 am: 0.7% of 185905 checklists9 am: 0.7% of 166049 checklists10 am: 0.6% of 150508 checklists11 am: 0.5% of 131024 checklists12 pm: 0.4% of 116804 checklists1 pm: 0.4% of 112055 checklists2 pm: 0.3% of 110246 checklists3 pm: 0.2% of 104376 checklists4 pm: 0.1% 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
January1.1%0.8%0.6%0.8%
February0.6%0.6%0.4%0.7%
March0.6%0.6%0.6%0.6%
April0.4%0.4%0.4%0.4%
May0.3%0.3%0.3%0.3%
June0.2%0.2%0.3%0.3%
July0.2%0.2%0.2%0.4%
August0.5%0.6%0.4%0.5%
September0.5%0.4%0.3%0.2%
October0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%
November0.3%0.7%0.9%1.0%
December0.7%1.1%0.9%1.0%

Neighboring states

  • New Hampshire: arrives early June, 20 weeks earlier than Massachusetts
  • Maine: arrives early May, 24 weeks earlier than Massachusetts
  • West Virginia: arrives mid April, 22 weeks later than Massachusetts
  • Minnesota: arrives the second week of October, 3 weeks earlier than Massachusetts

Common questions

When do Red Crossbills arrive in Massachusetts?
Red Crossbills are winter birds in Massachusetts: they arrive in early November, peak in mid December (1.0% of checklists), and most are gone by late June.
When do Red Crossbills leave Massachusetts?
Most Red Crossbills have left Massachusetts by late June, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Red Crossbill in Massachusetts?
The Red Crossbill is reported most often in mid December, on about 1.0% of Massachusetts checklists.
Where in Massachusetts are Red Crossbills seen most often?
By county, Franklin County, Essex County, and Worcester County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red Crossbill (counties with at least 200 checklists).