WhenToBird

Coragyps atratus · Cathartidae

When Do Black Vultures Arrive in Oklahoma?

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

The Black Vulture is in Oklahoma all year. It turns up on about 5.8% of checklists at its peak (the second week of April) and on 3.0% in its quietest week (the second week of August).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekApr 8-14the second week of April
Quietest weekAug 8-14the second week of August

Best: the second week of April. Here all year. Peak: on about 5.8% of Oklahoma checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 3.8% of 6087 checklistsJan 8-14: 4.2% of 4350 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.9% of 4381 checklistsJan 22-31: 4.2% of 6165 checklistsFeb 1-7: 4.8% of 4259 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.7% of 4589 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.1% of 7001 checklistsFeb 22-28: 4.3% of 4482 checklistsMar 1-7: 5.0% of 4724 checklistsMar 8-14: 4.8% of 4571 checklistsMar 15-21: 5.1% of 4393 checklistsMar 22-31: 5.3% of 7544 checklistsApr 1-7: 5.8% of 5967 checklistsApr 8-14: 6.3% of 6543 checklistsApr 15-21: 5.5% of 7366 checklistsApr 22-30: 5.0% of 10618 checklistsMay 1-7: 5.0% of 8835 checklistsMay 8-14: 4.7% of 8247 checklistsMay 15-21: 4.6% of 6081 checklistsMay 22-31: 4.0% of 7283 checklistsJun 1-7: 4.3% of 4256 checklistsJun 8-14: 4.2% of 3774 checklistsJun 15-21: 3.4% of 3541 checklistsJun 22-30: 4.3% of 4159 checklistsJul 1-7: 3.3% of 3209 checklistsJul 8-14: 3.8% of 2916 checklistsJul 15-21: 4.0% of 2861 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.8% of 4146 checklistsAug 1-7: 3.4% of 3043 checklistsAug 8-14: 2.8% of 2839 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.9% of 3014 checklistsAug 22-31: 3.5% of 4759 checklistsSep 1-7: 3.9% of 3861 checklistsSep 8-14: 4.4% of 3748 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.0% of 3569 checklistsSep 22-30: 3.7% of 4830 checklistsOct 1-7: 4.4% of 3809 checklistsOct 8-14: 5.0% of 4142 checklistsOct 15-21: 5.6% of 3705 checklistsOct 22-31: 5.7% of 4738 checklistsNov 1-7: 4.9% of 3823 checklistsNov 8-14: 5.7% of 3849 checklistsNov 15-21: 5.4% of 3722 checklistsNov 22-30: 5.3% of 4795 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.0% of 3324 checklistsDec 8-14: 6.2% of 3574 checklistsDec 15-21: 5.4% of 3884 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.5% of 5774 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 Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Pontotoc CountyBest late November · 16 checklists that week, 308 in all48%
  2. Adair CountyBest the second week of March · 11 checklists that week, 616 in all46%
  3. Hughes CountyBest mid March · 10 checklists that week, 494 in all45%
  4. Marshall CountyBest late April · 17 checklists that week, 590 in all44%
  5. Johnston CountyBest mid April · 117 checklists that week, 4,464 in all44%
  6. Sequoyah CountyBest mid March · 37 checklists that week, 1,522 in all43%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Red SloughMcCurtain County, best the second week of April · 23 checklists that week, 492 in all70%
  2. Upper Bayou Site 10 ReservoirCarter County, best the second week of October · 35 checklists that week, 1,672 in all45%
  3. Keystone LakeTulsa County, best mid January · 22 checklists that week, 349 in all35%
  4. Lake Thunderbird State Park (Dave Blue Creek)Cleveland County, best mid May · 20 checklists that week, 373 in all33%
  5. Little River National Wildlife RefugeMcCurtain County, best early May · 52 checklists that week, 156 in all22%
  6. Lake Thunderbird State ParkCleveland County, best mid April · 40 checklists that week, 824 in all21%

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

Best time of day

In Oklahoma, the Black Vulture is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (6.6% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%12 am: too few checklists (91) to judge1 am: too few checklists (65) to judge2 am: too few checklists (73) to judge3 am: too few checklists (73) to judge4 am: too few checklists (100) to judge5 am: too few checklists (647) to judge6 am: 4.0% of 8353 checklists7 am: 3.6% of 24509 checklists8 am: 4.6% of 27848 checklists9 am: 5.7% of 25316 checklists10 am: 6.3% of 21161 checklists11 am: 6.9% of 18730 checklists12 pm: 5.1% of 16097 checklists1 pm: 5.3% of 14028 checklists2 pm: 4.8% of 13599 checklists3 pm: 4.2% of 14228 checklists4 pm: 3.2% of 14597 checklists5 pm: 2.5% of 12125 checklists6 pm: 2.1% of 9337 checklists7 pm: 1.3% of 6944 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2403) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (459) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (226) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (141) 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
January3.8%4.2%3.9%4.2%
February4.8%2.7%3.1%4.3%
March5.0%4.8%5.1%5.3%
April5.8%6.3%5.5%5.0%
May5.0%4.7%4.6%4.0%
June4.3%4.2%3.4%4.3%
July3.3%3.8%4.0%3.8%
August3.4%2.8%2.9%3.5%
September3.9%4.4%3.0%3.7%
October4.4%5.0%5.6%5.7%
November4.9%5.7%5.4%5.3%
December4.0%6.2%5.4%4.5%

Neighboring states

  • Arkansas: year-round, peaks late March
  • Missouri: year-round, peaks early April
  • Texas: year-round, peaks mid December
  • Louisiana: year-round, peaks late March

Common questions

When do Black Vultures arrive in Oklahoma?
The Black Vulture is in Oklahoma all year. It turns up on about 5.8% of checklists at its peak (the second week of April) and on 3.0% in its quietest week (the second week of August).
When do Black Vultures leave Oklahoma?
The Black Vulture does not leave Oklahoma: it is reported all year, from 3.0% of checklists in the second week of August to 5.8% in the second week of April.
When is the best time to see a Black Vulture in Oklahoma?
The Black Vulture is reported most often in the second week of April, on about 5.8% of Oklahoma checklists.
Where in Oklahoma are Black Vultures seen most often?
By county, Pontotoc County, Adair County, and Hughes County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Black Vulture (counties with at least 200 checklists).