WhenToBird

Coragyps atratus · Cathartidae

When Do Black Vultures Arrive in Arizona?

Adult Black Vulture
Photo: Cricket Raspet, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Black Vultures are winter birds in Arizona: the first arrive in the second week of November, they are common by the second week of December, peak in mid March (3.6% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of October.

When to look

First arrivalsNov 8-14the second week of November
Common byDec 8-14the second week of December
PeakMar 15-21mid March
Most gone byOct 8-14the second week of October

Best: mid March. First arrivals the second week of November; most are gone by the second week of October. Peak: on about 3.6% of Arizona checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 1.4% of 34758 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.5% of 29835 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.4% of 29279 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.6% of 39716 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.6% of 27299 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.7% of 28703 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.5% of 35357 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.9% of 29889 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.4% of 29932 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.6% of 32982 checklistsMar 15-21: 4.3% of 34731 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.2% of 50213 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.8% of 35788 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.5% of 38087 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.5% of 41520 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.6% of 55218 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.5% of 39688 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.1% of 39398 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.1% of 29562 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.8% of 36774 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.5% of 21313 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.5% of 19129 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.3% of 17922 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.4% of 21188 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.4% of 17325 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.3% of 16463 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.8% of 18642 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.6% of 31215 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.9% of 28163 checklistsAug 8-14: 2.2% of 31329 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.6% of 23878 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.4% of 28508 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.5% of 20878 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.5% of 19671 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.8% of 19859 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.5% of 25179 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.8% of 19420 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.5% of 21925 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.5% of 20995 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.1% of 29258 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.1% of 21269 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.3% of 22753 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.2% of 21982 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.2% of 29475 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.5% of 20810 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.5% of 22229 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.7% of 25148 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.3% of 39567 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 Arizona 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 Arizona

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Santa Cruz CountyBest mid March · 5761 checklists that week, 162,726 in all19%
  2. Pinal CountyBest the second week of October · 717 checklists that week, 40,036 in all5.0%
  3. Yuma CountyBest late May · 281 checklists that week, 14,687 in all2.5%
  4. Maricopa CountyBest the second week of April · 6348 checklists that week, 269,896 in all2.0%
  5. Pima CountyBest the second week of May · 10838 checklists that week, 437,722 in all1.0%
  6. Yavapai CountyBest late August · 1304 checklists that week, 83,606 in all0.3%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Tubac Creek (Mavis Wash)Santa Cruz County, best the second week of March · 720 checklists that week, 3,207 in all58%
  2. Arivaca Lake and LandPima County, best mid June · 30 checklists that week, 1,459 in all55%
  3. Buenos Aires National Wildlife RefugePima County, best mid March · 21 checklists that week, 1,299 in all53%
  4. Tonto National ForestMaricopa County, best the second week of August · 41 checklists that week, 3,647 in all52%
  5. Tonto National Forest (east)Maricopa County, best the second week of May · 22 checklists that week, 726 in all49%

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

Best time of day

In Arizona, the Black Vulture is most often listed on checklists started between 8 and 10 am (2.4% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%12 am: too few checklists (488) to judge1 am: too few checklists (503) to judge2 am: too few checklists (489) to judge3 am: too few checklists (735) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4115) to judge5 am: 1.3% of 38350 checklists6 am: 1.8% of 118786 checklists7 am: 2.0% of 183415 checklists8 am: 2.4% of 187346 checklists9 am: 2.5% of 151342 checklists10 am: 2.3% of 124522 checklists11 am: 2.2% of 97088 checklists12 pm: 2.0% of 78110 checklists1 pm: 1.9% of 73059 checklists2 pm: 1.8% of 68912 checklists3 pm: 1.5% of 68060 checklists4 pm: 1.3% of 69387 checklists5 pm: 0.9% of 52951 checklists6 pm: 0.8% of 31061 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (16076) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (5352) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2369) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1100) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (604) 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
January1.4%1.5%1.4%1.6%
February1.6%1.7%1.5%1.9%
March2.4%3.6%4.3%3.2%
April2.8%2.5%2.5%2.6%
May2.5%2.1%2.1%1.8%
June1.5%1.5%1.3%1.4%
July1.4%1.3%1.8%1.6%
August1.9%2.2%1.6%1.4%
September1.5%1.5%1.8%1.5%
October1.8%1.5%1.5%1.1%
November1.1%1.3%1.2%1.2%
December1.5%1.5%1.7%1.3%

Neighboring states

  • Texas: year-round, peaks mid December
  • Oklahoma: year-round, peaks the second week of April
  • Arkansas: year-round, peaks late March
  • Louisiana: year-round, peaks late March

Common questions

When do Black Vultures arrive in Arizona?
Black Vultures are winter birds in Arizona: the first arrive in the second week of November, they are common by the second week of December, peak in mid March (3.6% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of October.
When do Black Vultures leave Arizona?
Most Black Vultures have left Arizona by the second week of October, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late October.
When is the best time to see a Black Vulture in Arizona?
The Black Vulture is reported most often in mid March, on about 3.6% of Arizona checklists.
Where in Arizona are Black Vultures seen most often?
By county, Santa Cruz County, Pinal County, and Yuma County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Black Vulture (counties with at least 200 checklists).