WhenToBird

Astur cooperii · Accipitridae

When Do Cooper's Hawks Arrive in North Carolina?

Adult male Cooper's Hawk
Photo: Shirley Zundell, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Cooper's Hawks are winter birds in North Carolina: the first arrive in the second week of June, they are common by early August, peak in the second week of October (5.3% of checklists), and most are gone by early May.

When to look

First arrivalsJun 8-14the second week of June
Common byAug 1-7early August
PeakOct 8-14the second week of October
Most gone byMay 1-7early May

Best: the second week of October. First arrivals the second week of June; most are gone by early May. Peak: on about 5.3% of North Carolina checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 3.2% of 30085 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.0% of 22728 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.9% of 24292 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.8% of 34122 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.5% of 26352 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.3% of 29663 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.5% of 41515 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.0% of 24318 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.2% of 23408 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.4% of 22658 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.2% of 22784 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.4% of 36034 checklistsApr 1-7: 3.2% of 28131 checklistsApr 8-14: 3.1% of 29190 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.8% of 32847 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.9% of 47966 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.4% of 37076 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.0% of 36228 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.6% of 30378 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.6% of 40237 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.7% of 27551 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.7% of 26473 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.1% of 22789 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.9% of 27615 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.1% of 20022 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.0% of 19315 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.0% of 18934 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.3% of 25600 checklistsAug 1-7: 2.7% of 17987 checklistsAug 8-14: 2.7% of 17307 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.8% of 17080 checklistsAug 22-31: 3.3% of 25844 checklistsSep 1-7: 4.0% of 20818 checklistsSep 8-14: 3.9% of 20070 checklistsSep 15-21: 4.6% of 21984 checklistsSep 22-30: 4.7% of 26979 checklistsOct 1-7: 5.4% of 22605 checklistsOct 8-14: 5.3% of 22677 checklistsOct 15-21: 5.2% of 21407 checklistsOct 22-31: 4.7% of 25927 checklistsNov 1-7: 4.0% of 18830 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.9% of 18418 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.7% of 19101 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.5% of 25709 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.2% of 18856 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.2% of 18745 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.3% of 22478 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.2% of 34796 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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Greene CountyBest early February · 17 checklists that week, 1,188 in all14%
  2. Surry CountyBest late September · 129 checklists that week, 4,610 in all14%
  3. Halifax CountyBest late September · 15 checklists that week, 2,587 in all14%
  4. Perquimans CountyBest late December · 11 checklists that week, 605 in all13%
  5. Wayne CountyBest early September · 21 checklists that week, 3,465 in all13%
  6. Avery CountyBest late September · 291 checklists that week, 8,724 in all13%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lower Janita LakeForsyth County, best mid October · 21 checklists that week, 1,378 in all37%
  2. City of Winston-Salem Open Space - BethabaraForsyth County, best late March · 22 checklists that week, 682 in all34%
  3. Brookshire ParkWatauga County, best late September · 24 checklists that week, 1,445 in all33%
  4. Pilot Mountain State Park (2)Surry County, best late September · 29 checklists that week, 186 in all33%
  5. Ivy Point RidgeWatauga County, best late September · 33 checklists that week, 221 in all31%

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

Best time of day

In North Carolina, the Cooper's Hawk is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (4.0% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (520) to judge1 am: too few checklists (489) to judge2 am: too few checklists (442) to judge3 am: too few checklists (544) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1621) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9671) to judge6 am: 3.8% of 50335 checklists7 am: 4.0% of 150152 checklists8 am: 3.7% of 182902 checklists9 am: 3.2% of 158933 checklists10 am: 2.9% of 128398 checklists11 am: 2.6% of 98671 checklists12 pm: 2.4% of 78640 checklists1 pm: 2.6% of 72510 checklists2 pm: 2.6% of 69179 checklists3 pm: 2.6% of 67669 checklists4 pm: 2.6% of 63964 checklists5 pm: 2.4% of 48520 checklists6 pm: 2.2% of 33196 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (19700) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (6160) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1943) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1119) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (651) 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
January3.2%3.0%2.9%2.8%
February2.5%2.3%2.5%3.0%
March3.2%3.4%3.2%3.4%
April3.2%3.1%2.8%2.9%
May2.4%2.0%1.6%1.6%
June1.7%1.7%2.1%1.9%
July2.1%2.0%2.0%2.3%
August2.7%2.7%2.8%3.3%
September4.0%3.9%4.6%4.7%
October5.4%5.3%5.2%4.7%
November4.0%3.9%3.7%3.5%
December3.2%3.2%3.3%3.2%

Neighboring states

  • South Carolina: arrives late May, 2 weeks earlier than North Carolina
  • Virginia: arrives early July, 3 weeks later than North Carolina
  • West Virginia: arrives the second week of June, in the same week than North Carolina
  • District of Columbia: arrives mid July, 5 weeks later than North Carolina

Common questions

When do Cooper's Hawks arrive in North Carolina?
Cooper's Hawks are winter birds in North Carolina: the first arrive in the second week of June, they are common by early August, peak in the second week of October (5.3% of checklists), and most are gone by early May.
When do Cooper's Hawks leave North Carolina?
Most Cooper's Hawks have left North Carolina by early May, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of May.
When is the best time to see a Cooper's Hawk in North Carolina?
The Cooper's Hawk is reported most often in the second week of October, on about 5.3% of North Carolina checklists.
Where in North Carolina are Cooper's Hawks seen most often?
By county, Greene County, Surry County, and Halifax County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Cooper's Hawk (counties with at least 200 checklists).