WhenToBird

Coragyps atratus · Cathartidae

When Do Black Vultures Arrive in Connecticut?

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

Black Vultures reach Connecticut in mid August, are common by early September, peak in early May (3.4% of checklists), and most are gone by late June.

When to look

First arrivalsAug 15-21mid August
Common bySep 1-7early September
PeakMay 1-7early May
Most gone byJun 22-30late June

Best: early May. First arrivals mid August; most are gone by late June. Peak: on about 3.4% of Connecticut checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 2.3% of 18950 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.1% of 13676 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.9% of 13377 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.2% of 17004 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.5% of 10218 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.2% of 11568 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.9% of 15916 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.3% of 11413 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.4% of 10754 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.4% of 12051 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.3% of 12616 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.2% of 17801 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.5% of 13186 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.5% of 14428 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.7% of 14738 checklistsApr 22-30: 3.0% of 21753 checklistsMay 1-7: 3.8% of 22494 checklistsMay 8-14: 3.4% of 23363 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.6% of 20219 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.5% of 20778 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.2% of 12234 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.1% of 12491 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.7% of 10856 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.6% of 11964 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.7% of 9437 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.3% of 8599 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.4% of 8252 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.2% of 11329 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.2% of 8116 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.1% of 8051 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.4% of 8502 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.4% of 13673 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.8% of 9873 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.1% of 9735 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.6% of 10120 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.7% of 12543 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.8% of 10735 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.5% of 10869 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.8% of 10436 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.7% of 13808 checklistsNov 1-7: 2.3% of 10507 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.5% of 9827 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.9% of 9904 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.8% of 13396 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.4% of 8974 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.9% of 9468 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.5% of 11614 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.7% of 16616 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 Connecticut 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 Connecticut

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. New Haven CountyBest early May · 5748 checklists that week, 139,721 in all6.8%
  2. Windham CountyBest the second week of December · 237 checklists that week, 19,034 in all6.7%
  3. Middlesex CountyBest late September · 774 checklists that week, 39,919 in all3.8%
  4. New London CountyBest late December · 2863 checklists that week, 65,205 in all3.6%
  5. Litchfield CountyBest late February · 1281 checklists that week, 69,766 in all3.4%
  6. Tolland CountyBest the second week of April · 958 checklists that week, 39,004 in all3.3%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hop River State Park TrailTolland County, best early April · 37 checklists that week, 1,060 in all32%
  2. Trout Brook ValleyFairfield County, best the second week of November · 21 checklists that week, 1,588 in all29%
  3. East Rock State ParkNew Haven County, best early May · 661 checklists that week, 4,264 in all26%

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

Best time of day

In Connecticut, the Black Vulture is most often listed on checklists started between 9 and 11 am (3.1% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%12 am: too few checklists (325) to judge1 am: too few checklists (367) to judge2 am: too few checklists (488) to judge3 am: too few checklists (792) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2722) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9489) to judge6 am: 1.4% of 33657 checklists7 am: 1.7% of 62964 checklists8 am: 2.4% of 70645 checklists9 am: 3.0% of 64870 checklists10 am: 3.1% of 58827 checklists11 am: 2.9% of 51689 checklists12 pm: 2.7% of 45288 checklists1 pm: 2.6% of 44765 checklists2 pm: 2.2% of 44173 checklists3 pm: 1.9% of 41979 checklists4 pm: 1.8% of 33219 checklists5 pm: 1.6% of 24828 checklists6 pm: 1.0% of 15856 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (8126) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (1994) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (533) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (349) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (286) 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
January2.3%2.1%1.9%2.2%
February2.5%2.2%1.9%2.3%
March2.4%2.4%2.3%2.2%
April2.5%2.5%2.7%3.0%
May3.8%3.4%2.6%2.5%
June2.2%2.1%1.7%1.6%
July1.7%1.3%1.4%1.2%
August1.2%1.1%1.4%1.4%
September1.8%2.1%2.6%2.7%
October1.8%2.5%2.8%2.7%
November2.3%2.5%1.9%1.8%
December1.4%1.9%2.5%1.7%

Neighboring states

  • Rhode Island: arrives early September, 2 weeks later than Connecticut
  • New Jersey: year-round, peaks mid October
  • New York: year-round, peaks late October
  • Delaware: year-round, peaks late October

Common questions

When do Black Vultures arrive in Connecticut?
Black Vultures reach Connecticut in mid August, are common by early September, peak in early May (3.4% of checklists), and most are gone by late June.
When do Black Vultures leave Connecticut?
Most Black Vultures have left Connecticut by late June, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid July.
When is the best time to see a Black Vulture in Connecticut?
The Black Vulture is reported most often in early May, on about 3.4% of Connecticut checklists.
Where in Connecticut are Black Vultures seen most often?
By county, New Haven County, Windham County, and Middlesex County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Black Vulture (counties with at least 200 checklists).