Birds in Massachusetts in April: What to Photograph (60 Species)

60 birds were recorded seen in Massachusetts in April in our iNaturalist sample; 34 of the top 50 are at their peak this month. The list is ranked by number of research-grade observations.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Top birds in April

American Robin5,479 obs.

Canada Goose3,230 obs.

Mallard2,894 obs.

Wild Turkey2,192 obs.

Red-winged Blackbird2,145 obs.

Northern Cardinal2,071 obs.

House Sparrow1,929 obs.

Black-capped Chickadee1,788 obs.

Mourning Dove1,539 obs.

Common Grackle1,460 obs.

Song Sparrow1,447 obs.

Blue Jay1,379 obs.

All birds seen in Massachusetts in April

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	5,479	Apr (peak)
2	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	3,230	Apr (peak)
3	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	2,894	Apr (peak)
4	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	2,192	Apr (peak)
5	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	2,145	May (rising)
6	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	2,071	Apr (peak)
7	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	1,929	Apr (peak)
8	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	1,788	Apr (peak)
9	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	1,539	Apr (peak)
10	Common Grackle	Quiscalus quiscula	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	1,460	Apr (peak)
11	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	1,447	Apr (peak)
12	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	1,379	Apr (peak)
13	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	1,237	May (rising)
14	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	1,110	Apr (peak)
15	Mute Swan	Cygnus olor	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	1,095	Apr (peak)
16	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	1,093	Apr (peak)
17	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	1,044	Apr (peak)
18	Chipping Sparrow	Spizella passerina	New World Sparrows	1,006	Apr (peak)
19	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	992	Apr (peak)
20	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	959	Aug (rising)
21	Osprey	Pandion haliaetus	Ospreys	941	Apr (peak)
22	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	935	Aug (rising)
23	Tree Swallow	Tachycineta bicolor	Swallows and Martins	860	May (rising)
24	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	830	Apr (peak)
25	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	817	Apr (peak)
26	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	816	Apr (peak)
27	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	741	Apr (peak)
28	American Herring Gull	Larus smithsonianus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	725	Aug (rising)
29	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	713	Apr (peak)
30	Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	Tyrant Flycatchers	687	Apr (peak)
31	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	679	Apr (peak)
32	Yellow-rumped Warbler	Setophaga coronata	New World Warblers	675	Oct (rising)
33	Palm Warbler	Setophaga palmarum	New World Warblers	670	Apr (peak)
34	Brown-headed Cowbird	Molothrus ater	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	648	May (rising)
35	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	579	Apr (peak)
36	Wood Duck	Aix sponsa	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	563	Apr (peak)
37	Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	518	Mar (past peak)
38	Great Egret	Ardea alba	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	515	Aug (rising)
39	Red-breasted Merganser	Mergus serrator	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	482	Feb (past peak)
40	Common Eider	Somateria mollissima	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	478	Jan (past peak)
41	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	469	Apr (peak)
42	Hermit Thrush	Catharus guttatus	Thrushes	468	Apr (peak)
43	Pine Warbler	Setophaga pinus	New World Warblers	465	Apr (peak)
44	Killdeer	Charadrius vociferus	Plovers and Lapwings	463	May (rising)
45	Eastern Towhee	Pipilo erythrophthalmus	New World Sparrows	458	May (rising)
46	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	430	Jan (past peak)
47	Brant	Branta bernicla	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	401	Apr (peak)
48	Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus	Woodpeckers	398	Apr (peak)
49	Ruby-crowned Kinglet	Corthylio calendula	Kinglets	388	Apr (peak)
50	Piping Plover	Charadrius melodus	Plovers and Lapwings	363	Jun (rising)

Birds Seen in Massachusetts in April

Top birds in April

All birds seen in Massachusetts in April