WhenToBird

Columba livia · Columbidae

When Do Rock Pigeons Arrive in Massachusetts?

Adult Rock Pigeon
Photo: Paul Braun, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

The Rock Pigeon is in Massachusetts all year. It turns up on about 9.1% of checklists at its peak (late January) and on 6.3% in its quietest week (mid May).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekJan 22-31late January
Quietest weekMay 15-21mid May

Best: late January. Here all year. Peak: on about 9.1% of Massachusetts checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 8.5% of 43252 checklistsJan 8-14: 9.1% of 30096 checklistsJan 15-21: 8.6% of 28760 checklistsJan 22-31: 9.4% of 38135 checklistsFeb 1-7: 9.2% of 26442 checklistsFeb 8-14: 8.5% of 29034 checklistsFeb 15-21: 7.8% of 37383 checklistsFeb 22-28: 8.8% of 29977 checklistsMar 1-7: 8.1% of 29175 checklistsMar 8-14: 7.4% of 32399 checklistsMar 15-21: 6.8% of 34444 checklistsMar 22-31: 6.6% of 49126 checklistsApr 1-7: 7.1% of 36456 checklistsApr 8-14: 7.4% of 40908 checklistsApr 15-21: 6.9% of 42078 checklistsApr 22-30: 6.6% of 56465 checklistsMay 1-7: 6.7% of 56994 checklistsMay 8-14: 6.2% of 64079 checklistsMay 15-21: 6.6% of 52020 checklistsMay 22-31: 6.1% of 55402 checklistsJun 1-7: 6.5% of 30682 checklistsJun 8-14: 6.8% of 27557 checklistsJun 15-21: 6.8% of 26163 checklistsJun 22-30: 7.4% of 29576 checklistsJul 1-7: 7.3% of 23931 checklistsJul 8-14: 7.9% of 22389 checklistsJul 15-21: 8.6% of 22365 checklistsJul 22-31: 8.5% of 32631 checklistsAug 1-7: 9.0% of 25133 checklistsAug 8-14: 8.7% of 24610 checklistsAug 15-21: 8.7% of 25350 checklistsAug 22-31: 8.6% of 37198 checklistsSep 1-7: 8.9% of 27402 checklistsSep 8-14: 8.7% of 27700 checklistsSep 15-21: 8.2% of 28398 checklistsSep 22-30: 7.9% of 34646 checklistsOct 1-7: 8.0% of 28620 checklistsOct 8-14: 7.8% of 30144 checklistsOct 15-21: 8.1% of 28893 checklistsOct 22-31: 7.8% of 38869 checklistsNov 1-7: 8.1% of 29782 checklistsNov 8-14: 7.5% of 27582 checklistsNov 15-21: 7.3% of 26642 checklistsNov 22-30: 8.0% of 34390 checklistsDec 1-7: 8.4% of 25164 checklistsDec 8-14: 8.2% of 24892 checklistsDec 15-21: 8.4% of 29022 checklistsDec 22-31: 7.8% 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 late October · 2844 checklists that week, 112,443 in all28%
  2. Bristol CountyBest late July · 1384 checklists that week, 65,262 in all14%
  3. Middlesex CountyBest late August · 6420 checklists that week, 307,511 in all12%
  4. Essex CountyBest late January · 6851 checklists that week, 213,973 in all11%
  5. Franklin CountyBest the second week of January · 634 checklists that week, 41,382 in all9.4%
  6. Nantucket CountyBest the second week of June · 358 checklists that week, 23,895 in all9.2%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Macmillan WharfBarnstable County, best the second week of April · 28 checklists that week, 2,253 in all96%
  2. Urban ArboretumSuffolk County, best mid July · 35 checklists that week, 3,013 in all95%
  3. Gloucester HarborEssex County, best late July · 21 checklists that week, 300 in all94%
  4. Boston NeckSuffolk County, best early September · 29 checklists that week, 2,568 in all92%
  5. Mystic River Reservation (Malden River)Middlesex County, best early September · 22 checklists that week, 1,044 in all90%

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

Best time of day

In Massachusetts, the Rock Pigeon is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (8.7% 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: 8.6% of 108601 checklists7 am: 8.7% of 186104 checklists8 am: 8.1% of 185905 checklists9 am: 7.8% of 166049 checklists10 am: 7.4% of 150508 checklists11 am: 8.4% of 131024 checklists12 pm: 8.5% of 116804 checklists1 pm: 8.3% of 112055 checklists2 pm: 7.5% of 110246 checklists3 pm: 6.8% of 104376 checklists4 pm: 6.5% of 83736 checklists5 pm: 6.3% of 63723 checklists6 pm: 5.1% 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
January8.5%9.1%8.6%9.4%
February9.2%8.5%7.8%8.8%
March8.1%7.4%6.8%6.6%
April7.1%7.4%6.9%6.6%
May6.7%6.2%6.6%6.1%
June6.5%6.8%6.8%7.4%
July7.3%7.9%8.6%8.5%
August9.0%8.7%8.7%8.6%
September8.9%8.7%8.2%7.9%
October8.0%7.8%8.1%7.8%
November8.1%7.5%7.3%8.0%
December8.4%8.2%8.4%7.8%

Neighboring states

Common questions

When do Rock Pigeons arrive in Massachusetts?
The Rock Pigeon is in Massachusetts all year. It turns up on about 9.1% of checklists at its peak (late January) and on 6.3% in its quietest week (mid May).
When do Rock Pigeons leave Massachusetts?
The Rock Pigeon does not leave Massachusetts: it is reported all year, from 6.3% of checklists in mid May to 9.1% in late January.
When is the best time to see a Rock Pigeon in Massachusetts?
The Rock Pigeon is reported most often in late January, on about 9.1% of Massachusetts checklists.
Where in Massachusetts are Rock Pigeons seen most often?
By county, Suffolk County, Bristol County, and Middlesex County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Rock Pigeon (counties with at least 200 checklists).