WhenToBird

Euphagus carolinus · Icteridae

When Do Rusty Blackbirds Arrive in Virginia?

Adult female Rusty Blackbird
Photo: Carol Ann Vermeer, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Rusty Blackbirds are winter birds in Virginia: they arrive in mid October, peak in late March (2.5% of checklists), and most are gone by late April.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 15-21mid October
Common byOct 15-21mid October
PeakMar 22-31late March
Most gone byApr 22-30late April

Best: late March. First arrivals mid October; most are gone by late April. Peak: on about 2.5% of Virginia checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 0.8% of 32817 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.0% of 25111 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.8% of 25510 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.0% of 34492 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.9% of 24950 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.7% of 28224 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.7% of 43578 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.2% of 26467 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.6% of 25851 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.2% of 25901 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.5% of 26747 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.6% of 40819 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.3% of 31351 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.3% of 33239 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.7% of 37284 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.9% of 54364 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.2% of 47698 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 46174 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 36444 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 43203 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 28503 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 25485 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 23728 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 28785 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 22294 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 20481 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 18914 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 26976 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 19555 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 18744 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 18721 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 28763 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 23594 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 22581 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 23036 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 29687 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 24321 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.3% of 23946 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.7% of 22191 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.3% of 30161 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.9% of 21431 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.1% of 22758 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.9% of 19988 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.6% of 27665 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.2% of 19324 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.1% of 20316 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.0% of 25675 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.9% of 38677 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 Virginia 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 Virginia

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Buchanan CountyBest mid November · 22 checklists that week, 1,612 in all15%
  2. Suffolk CountyBest late March · 285 checklists that week, 8,168 in all15%
  3. Williamsburg CountyBest early February · 181 checklists that week, 7,060 in all11%
  4. James CityBest the second week of April · 623 checklists that week, 23,084 in all11%
  5. Buena Vista CountyBest the second week of November · 11 checklists that week, 525 in all10%
  6. Clarke CountyBest the second week of November · 172 checklists that week, 8,388 in all8.7%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Huntley Meadows County Park (west)Fairfax County, best the second week of April · 73 checklists that week, 2,769 in all43%
  2. Huntley Meadows County ParkFairfax County, best early April · 312 checklists that week, 13,839 in all41%
  3. Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge (northwest)Suffolk County, best late March · 23 checklists that week, 463 in all41%
  4. Greenbrier ParkCharlottesville County, best mid March · 29 checklists that week, 1,470 in all35%

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

Best time of day

In Virginia, the Rusty Blackbird is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (1.3% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%12 am: too few checklists (485) to judge1 am: too few checklists (488) to judge2 am: too few checklists (423) to judge3 am: too few checklists (565) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1410) to judge5 am: too few checklists (10265) to judge6 am: 1.1% of 64788 checklists7 am: 1.4% of 169128 checklists8 am: 1.1% of 180748 checklists9 am: 0.8% of 153462 checklists10 am: 0.7% of 128966 checklists11 am: 0.6% of 104204 checklists12 pm: 0.6% of 91604 checklists1 pm: 0.6% of 85547 checklists2 pm: 0.7% of 82355 checklists3 pm: 0.7% of 82265 checklists4 pm: 0.6% of 76714 checklists5 pm: 0.5% of 56782 checklists6 pm: 0.4% of 40131 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24290) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (7744) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2383) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1122) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (651) 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
January0.8%1.0%0.8%1.0%
February0.9%0.7%0.7%1.2%
March1.6%2.2%2.5%2.6%
April2.3%2.3%1.7%0.9%
May0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0.1%0.1%
October0.1%0.3%0.7%1.3%
November1.9%2.1%1.9%1.6%
December1.2%1.1%1.0%0.9%

Neighboring states

  • District of Columbia: arrives mid October, in the same week than Virginia
  • Maryland: arrives mid October, in the same week than Virginia
  • West Virginia: arrives the second week of October, 1 week earlier than Virginia
  • Delaware: arrives mid October, in the same week than Virginia

Common questions

When do Rusty Blackbirds arrive in Virginia?
Rusty Blackbirds are winter birds in Virginia: they arrive in mid October, peak in late March (2.5% of checklists), and most are gone by late April.
When do Rusty Blackbirds leave Virginia?
Most Rusty Blackbirds have left Virginia by late April, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Rusty Blackbird in Virginia?
The Rusty Blackbird is reported most often in late March, on about 2.5% of Virginia checklists.
Where in Virginia are Rusty Blackbirds seen most often?
By county, Buchanan County, Suffolk County, and Williamsburg County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Rusty Blackbird (counties with at least 200 checklists).