The last seven days on iNaturalist, checked against five years
Rare Birds in Massachusetts This Week
Massachusetts logged 330,577 confirmed bird sightings across 454 species on iNaturalist in five years, and 42 of those species have 3 or fewer confirmed sightings. The live list near Boston covers 25 miles around the city. The Massachusetts Avian Records Committee reviews rare bird records here.
Near Boston
Rare birds near Boston this week
Every bird posted within 25 miles of Boston in the last seven days, with the ones that are rare there, out of season or uncommon first and the reason for each.
Reading this week's bird sightings within 25 miles of Boston from iNaturalist.
Somewhere else in Massachusetts? Enter your ZIP for the circle around it.
Massachusetts birds on the record
iNaturalist, research grade
330,577
Confirmed bird sightings
research grade iNaturalist records, five years
454
Bird species on record
seen and confirmed in Massachusetts
42
Species seen 3 times or fewer
9 percent of the state list, the birds that make news
25 mi
Live circle
around Boston, or any ZIP you enter
Counted from iNaturalist’s research grade bird records in Massachusetts from October 9, 2021 to October 1, 2026, read October 9, 2026.
Across Massachusetts
The whole state this week
Every bird reported anywhere in Massachusetts in the last seven days, checked against the state’s own five year record: Rare here means 3 or fewer confirmed sightings in the whole state.
Reading this week's bird sightings across Massachusetts from iNaturalist.
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What turns up here
Who confirms a rare bird in Massachusetts
454 bird species have confirmed iNaturalist records in Massachusetts over five years, and 42 of them were confirmed 3 times or fewer. A sighting of one of those is the kind a state records committee reviews before it joins the official list. The Massachusetts Avian Records Committee names 2 birds on its own page, below.
Massachusetts Avian Records Committee
The committee reviews rare bird records in Massachusetts.
The committee has added American Flamingo and Western Wood-Pewee to the state list on new records.
“Two species are added to the state list based on new records: American Flamingo and Western Wood-Pewee.”
American Flamingo
Western Wood-Pewee
Birders and photographers setting up on an overlook. Word of an unusual bird travels this way: one person posts a photograph, and the people nearby go and look. “Birdwatchers stop to set up equipment at overlook”, Steve Hillebrand, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Public domain
Massachusetts rare bird questions
The lists above, read live from iNaturalist: first the birds within 25 miles of Boston, then the whole state. Each species is checked against five years of confirmed sightings, and the most unusual come first.
454 bird species in 330,577 confirmed iNaturalist sightings between 2021-10-09 and 2026-10-01. 42 of those species have 3 or fewer confirmed sightings in the state, so a new one of them is news.
Near Boston or your own ZIP, a species with 3 or fewer confirmed sightings within 25 miles in five years, or one that is seen there but almost never in these weeks of the year. On the statewide list, a species with 3 or fewer confirmed sightings anywhere in Massachusetts.
The Massachusetts Avian Records Committee, whose review list is linked on this page.
The committee has added American Flamingo and Western Wood-Pewee to the state list on new records.
Enter your ZIP on the rare bird alert for a list around your own spot, and check it each week in spring and fall migration, when most strays turn up. Each bird links to its iNaturalist species page with photographs and a range map.
Yes, for this week only, because confirmation takes days and a rare bird may be gone by then. The five year record the week is checked against counts research grade sightings only.
Sightings and records from iNaturalist, read live for this week. The lists are built from counts per species, and each bird links to its species page. For your own spot, enter a ZIP on the rare bird alert.
