WhenToBird

Agelaius phoeniceus · Icteridae

When Do Red-winged Blackbirds Arrive in Massachusetts?

Adult male Red-winged Blackbird
Photo: infiniteuniverse, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Red-winged Blackbirds are in Massachusetts all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from early March, peak in early May (61% of checklists), and fall back by late July. In the quietest week (mid January) they are still on about 3.7% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMar 1-7early March
PeakMay 1-7early May
Fall back byJul 22-31late July
FewestJan 15-21mid January

Best: early May. Here all year; numbers build from early March and fall back by late July. Peak: on about 61% of Massachusetts checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seprare
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decrare

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

0%20%40%60%80%Jan 1-7: 4.0% of 43252 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.9% of 30096 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.3% of 28760 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.8% of 38135 checklistsFeb 1-7: 4.7% of 26442 checklistsFeb 8-14: 8.5% of 29034 checklistsFeb 15-21: 14% of 37383 checklistsFeb 22-28: 25% of 29977 checklistsMar 1-7: 35% of 29175 checklistsMar 8-14: 43% of 32399 checklistsMar 15-21: 47% of 34444 checklistsMar 22-31: 49% of 49126 checklistsApr 1-7: 51% of 36456 checklistsApr 8-14: 54% of 40908 checklistsApr 15-21: 57% of 42078 checklistsApr 22-30: 61% of 56465 checklistsMay 1-7: 63% of 56994 checklistsMay 8-14: 60% of 64079 checklistsMay 15-21: 59% of 52020 checklistsMay 22-31: 57% of 55402 checklistsJun 1-7: 56% of 30682 checklistsJun 8-14: 55% of 27557 checklistsJun 15-21: 53% of 26163 checklistsJun 22-30: 52% of 29576 checklistsJul 1-7: 49% of 23931 checklistsJul 8-14: 46% of 22389 checklistsJul 15-21: 42% of 22365 checklistsJul 22-31: 35% of 32631 checklistsAug 1-7: 28% of 25133 checklistsAug 8-14: 20% of 24610 checklistsAug 15-21: 14% of 25350 checklistsAug 22-31: 11% of 37198 checklistsSep 1-7: 8.2% of 27402 checklistsSep 8-14: 6.8% of 27700 checklistsSep 15-21: 6.3% of 28398 checklistsSep 22-30: 7.6% of 34646 checklistsOct 1-7: 11% of 28620 checklistsOct 8-14: 14% of 30144 checklistsOct 15-21: 17% of 28893 checklistsOct 22-31: 16% of 38869 checklistsNov 1-7: 13% of 29782 checklistsNov 8-14: 10% of 27582 checklistsNov 15-21: 7.8% of 26642 checklistsNov 22-30: 5.8% of 34390 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.5% of 25164 checklistsDec 8-14: 4.6% of 24892 checklistsDec 15-21: 4.9% of 29022 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.5% 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 the second week of May · 14184 checklists that week, 307,511 in all68%
  2. Essex CountyBest early May · 7023 checklists that week, 213,973 in all65%
  3. Nantucket CountyBest early June · 372 checklists that week, 23,895 in all65%
  4. Bristol CountyBest the second week of May · 2245 checklists that week, 65,262 in all64%
  5. Barnstable CountyBest the second week of May · 6629 checklists that week, 215,188 in all63%
  6. Norfolk CountyBest early May · 4058 checklists that week, 114,756 in all63%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Locke FarmMiddlesex County, best late April · 20 checklists that week, 245 in all100%
  2. Richmond Fen Wildlife Management AreaBerkshire County, best mid June · 25 checklists that week, 490 in all100%
  3. Blacks Creek MarshesNorfolk County, best early May · 22 checklists that week, 380 in all100%
  4. Broad Brook - Fitzgerald Lake GreenwayHampshire County, best early July · 20 checklists that week, 1,404 in all100%
  5. Richmond Consolidated School PlaygroundBerkshire County, best late June · 21 checklists that week, 238 in all100%

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

Best time of day

In Massachusetts, the Red-winged Blackbird is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (40% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%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: 43% of 108601 checklists7 am: 38% of 186104 checklists8 am: 34% of 185905 checklists9 am: 30% of 166049 checklists10 am: 26% of 150508 checklists11 am: 23% of 131024 checklists12 pm: 22% of 116804 checklists1 pm: 22% of 112055 checklists2 pm: 23% of 110246 checklists3 pm: 24% of 104376 checklists4 pm: 31% of 83736 checklists5 pm: 37% of 63723 checklists6 pm: 39% 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
January4.0%3.9%3.3%3.8%
February4.7%8.5%14%25%
March35%43%47%49%
April51%54%57%61%
May63%60%59%57%
June56%55%53%52%
July49%46%42%35%
August28%20%14%11%
September8.2%6.8%6.3%7.6%
October11%14%17%16%
November13%10%7.8%5.8%
December4.5%4.6%4.9%4.5%

Neighboring states

  • Rhode Island: arrives the second week of February, 3 weeks earlier than Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire: arrives mid February, 2 weeks earlier than Massachusetts
  • Connecticut: arrives early March, in the same week than Massachusetts
  • Vermont: arrives mid February, 2 weeks earlier than Massachusetts

Common questions

When do Red-winged Blackbirds arrive in Massachusetts?
Red-winged Blackbirds are in Massachusetts all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from early March, peak in early May (61% of checklists), and fall back by late July. In the quietest week (mid January) they are still on about 3.7% of checklists.
When do Red-winged Blackbirds leave Massachusetts?
Red-winged Blackbirds never fully leave Massachusetts: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by late July, but some are still reported in every week, about 3.7% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Red-winged Blackbird in Massachusetts?
The Red-winged Blackbird is reported most often in early May, on about 61% of Massachusetts checklists.
Where in Massachusetts are Red-winged Blackbirds seen most often?
By county, Middlesex County, Essex County, and Nantucket County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-winged Blackbird (counties with at least 200 checklists).