WhenToBird

Coccyzus americanus · Cuculidae

When Do Yellow-billed Cuckoos Arrive in Massachusetts?

Adult Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Photo: kirk gardner, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Yellow-billed Cuckoos mostly pass through Massachusetts: they arrive in mid May, peak in early June (2.3% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of July.

When to look

First arrivalsMay 15-21mid May
Common byMay 15-21mid May
PeakJun 1-7early June
Most gone byJul 8-14the second week of July

Best: early June. First arrivals mid May; most are gone by the second week of July. Peak: on about 2.3% of Massachusetts checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Aprnot usually seen
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novrare
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 0% of 43252 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 30096 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 28760 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 38135 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 26442 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 29034 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0% of 37383 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0% of 29977 checklistsMar 1-7: 0% of 29175 checklistsMar 8-14: 0% of 32399 checklistsMar 15-21: 0% of 34444 checklistsMar 22-31: 0% of 49126 checklistsApr 1-7: 0% of 36456 checklistsApr 8-14: 0% of 40908 checklistsApr 15-21: 0% of 42078 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 56465 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 56994 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.3% of 64079 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.3% of 52020 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.2% of 55402 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.6% of 30682 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.3% of 27557 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.6% of 26163 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.2% of 29576 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.0% of 23931 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.8% of 22389 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.6% of 22365 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.5% of 32631 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.4% of 25133 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.5% of 24610 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.2% of 25350 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.2% of 37198 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.2% of 27402 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.2% of 27700 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.3% of 28398 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.4% of 34646 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.4% of 28620 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.5% of 30144 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.4% of 28893 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.2% of 38869 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 29782 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 27582 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 26642 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 34390 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 25164 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 24892 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 29022 checklistsDec 22-31: 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.

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Where in Massachusetts

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Franklin CountyBest mid June · 641 checklists that week, 41,382 in all5.0%
  2. Hampshire CountyBest early June · 3220 checklists that week, 162,423 in all4.4%
  3. Plymouth CountyBest early June · 1638 checklists that week, 89,282 in all3.8%
  4. Bristol CountyBest early June · 1173 checklists that week, 65,262 in all3.4%
  5. Worcester CountyBest the second week of June · 2228 checklists that week, 128,594 in all3.2%
  6. Hampden CountyBest late May · 1175 checklists that week, 35,410 in all3.2%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Poppasguash SwampBristol County, best late May · 35 checklists that week, 2,031 in all40%
  2. Quabbin Reservoir WatershedHampshire County, best the second week of June · 37 checklists that week, 1,878 in all34%
  3. Connecticut River Greenway State ParkHampshire County, best early June · 40 checklists that week, 1,783 in all31%
  4. Norwottuck Rail TrailHampshire County, best early June · 29 checklists that week, 1,148 in all27%

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

Best time of day

In Massachusetts, the Yellow-billed Cuckoo is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 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: 0.9% of 108601 checklists7 am: 0.6% of 186104 checklists8 am: 0.4% of 185905 checklists9 am: 0.4% of 166049 checklists10 am: 0.3% of 150508 checklists11 am: 0.2% of 131024 checklists12 pm: 0.2% of 116804 checklists1 pm: 0.2% of 112055 checklists2 pm: 0.2% of 110246 checklists3 pm: 0.2% of 104376 checklists4 pm: 0.2% of 83736 checklists5 pm: 0.3% of 63723 checklists6 pm: 0.3% 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
January0%0%0%0%
February0%0%0%0%
March0%0%0%0%
April0%0%0%0.1%
May0.1%0.3%1.3%2.2%
June2.6%2.3%1.6%1.2%
July1.0%0.8%0.6%0.5%
August0.4%0.5%0.2%0.2%
September0.2%0.2%0.3%0.4%
October0.4%0.5%0.4%0.2%
November0.1%0.1%0.1%0%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Rhode Island: arrives the second week of May, 1 week earlier than Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire: arrives early June, 2 weeks later than Massachusetts
  • Connecticut: arrives the second week of May, 1 week earlier than Massachusetts
  • New York: arrives the second week of May, 1 week earlier than Massachusetts

Common questions

When do Yellow-billed Cuckoos arrive in Massachusetts?
Yellow-billed Cuckoos mostly pass through Massachusetts: they arrive in mid May, peak in early June (2.3% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of July.
When do Yellow-billed Cuckoos leave Massachusetts?
Most Yellow-billed Cuckoos have left Massachusetts by the second week of July, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Yellow-billed Cuckoo in Massachusetts?
The Yellow-billed Cuckoo is reported most often in early June, on about 2.3% of Massachusetts checklists.
Where in Massachusetts are Yellow-billed Cuckoos seen most often?
By county, Franklin County, Hampshire County, and Plymouth County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Yellow-billed Cuckoo (counties with at least 200 checklists).