WhenToBird

Icteria virens · Icteriidae

When Do Yellow-breasted Chats Arrive in New Jersey?

Adult Yellow-breasted Chat
Photo: Kevin Krebs, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Yellow-breasted Chats arrive in New Jersey in early May, peak in late May (2.6% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of July.

When to look

First arrivalsMay 1-7early May
Common byMay 1-7early May
PeakMay 22-31late May
Most gone byJul 8-14the second week of July

Best: late May. First arrivals early May; most are gone by the second week of July. Peak: on about 2.6% of New Jersey checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augrare
  9. Seprare
  10. Octrare
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 28167 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 20583 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 19739 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 24586 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 17226 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 19567 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 26553 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 19046 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.1% of 17969 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 18976 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 18581 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 27590 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% of 21202 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 23609 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 25056 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.2% of 36679 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.3% of 38378 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.2% of 44071 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.8% of 34076 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.5% of 32558 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.3% of 18049 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.4% of 15597 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.3% of 14894 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.4% of 17187 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.9% of 13406 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.5% of 12550 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.2% of 12358 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.6% of 18382 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.3% of 13689 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.2% of 14006 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.2% of 14483 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.4% of 23182 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.3% of 17984 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.4% of 18320 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.2% of 20491 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.3% of 26176 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.3% of 24112 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.3% of 24603 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 24549 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 26206 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 17469 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 15102 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 14958 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 19447 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 14017 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 14625 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 16937 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% of 26651 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 New Jersey 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 New Jersey

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Salem CountyBest mid May · 200 checklists that week, 9,658 in all12%
  2. Cape May CountyBest mid June · 2214 checklists that week, 189,832 in all9.7%
  3. Cumberland CountyBest the second week of May · 995 checklists that week, 13,927 in all5.2%
  4. Gloucester CountyBest early June · 619 checklists that week, 36,378 in all4.2%
  5. Mercer CountyBest mid June · 932 checklists that week, 56,614 in all2.9%
  6. Atlantic CountyBest late May · 900 checklists that week, 28,208 in all2.5%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Cape May Corridor MacrositeCape May County, best mid June · 50 checklists that week, 2,246 in all80%
  2. Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park (Fiddlers Creek)Mercer County, best mid June · 20 checklists that week, 636 in all53%
  3. Cape May Migratory Bird RefugeCape May County, best late June · 258 checklists that week, 15,664 in all46%
  4. Egg Island Wildlife Management AreaCumberland County, best the second week of May · 30 checklists that week, 182 in all45%
  5. Fort Mott State ParkSalem County, best mid May · 20 checklists that week, 437 in all44%
  6. Higbee Beach Wildlife Management Area (Sassafras Island)Cape May County, best the second week of May · 34 checklists that week, 149 in all39%

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

Best time of day

In New Jersey, the Yellow-breasted Chat is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (1.2% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%12 am: too few checklists (746) to judge1 am: too few checklists (640) to judge2 am: too few checklists (606) to judge3 am: too few checklists (755) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1681) to judge5 am: too few checklists (11258) to judge6 am: 1.4% of 50447 checklists7 am: 1.1% of 118312 checklists8 am: 0.8% of 123273 checklists9 am: 0.7% of 107783 checklists10 am: 0.6% of 97537 checklists11 am: 0.4% of 82427 checklists12 pm: 0.3% of 72581 checklists1 pm: 0.3% of 71478 checklists2 pm: 0.3% of 69994 checklists3 pm: 0.2% of 66822 checklists4 pm: 0.3% of 55950 checklists5 pm: 0.3% of 41360 checklists6 pm: 0.5% of 28122 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (14727) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (4257) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1273) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (920) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (693) 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
January0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
February0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
March0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
April0.1%0.1%0.1%0.2%
May1.3%2.2%2.8%2.5%
June2.3%2.4%2.3%2.4%
July1.9%1.5%1.2%0.6%
August0.3%0.2%0.2%0.4%
September0.3%0.4%0.2%0.3%
October0.3%0.3%0.1%0.1%
November0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
December0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • Delaware: arrives late April, 1 week earlier than New Jersey
  • Pennsylvania: arrives the second week of May, 1 week later than New Jersey
  • Maryland: arrives late April, 1 week earlier than New Jersey
  • Virginia: arrives mid April, 2 weeks earlier than New Jersey

Common questions

When do Yellow-breasted Chats arrive in New Jersey?
Yellow-breasted Chats arrive in New Jersey in early May, peak in late May (2.6% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of July.
When do Yellow-breasted Chats leave New Jersey?
Most Yellow-breasted Chats have left New Jersey by the second week of July, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid July.
When is the best time to see a Yellow-breasted Chat in New Jersey?
The Yellow-breasted Chat is reported most often in late May, on about 2.6% of New Jersey checklists.
Where in New Jersey are Yellow-breasted Chats seen most often?
By county, Salem County, Cape May County, and Cumberland County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Yellow-breasted Chat (counties with at least 200 checklists).