WhenToBird

Astur cooperii · Accipitridae

When Do Cooper's Hawks Arrive in Virginia?

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

Cooper's Hawks are winter birds in Virginia: the first arrive in early July, they are common by early August, peak in the second week of October (7.2% of checklists), and most are gone by late April.

When to look

First arrivalsJul 1-7early July
Common byAug 1-7early August
PeakOct 8-14the second week of October
Most gone byApr 22-30late April

Best: the second week of October. First arrivals early July; most are gone by late April. Peak: on about 7.2% of Virginia checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  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%8%Jan 1-7: 3.6% of 32817 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.8% of 25111 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.6% of 25510 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.6% of 34492 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.4% of 24950 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.9% of 28224 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.9% of 43578 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.4% of 26467 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.4% of 25851 checklistsMar 8-14: 4.1% of 25901 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.9% of 26747 checklistsMar 22-31: 4.2% of 40819 checklistsApr 1-7: 3.9% of 31351 checklistsApr 8-14: 3.8% of 33239 checklistsApr 15-21: 3.5% of 37284 checklistsApr 22-30: 3.2% of 54364 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.6% of 47698 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.1% of 46174 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.8% of 36444 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.8% of 43203 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.8% of 28503 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.1% of 25485 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.9% of 23728 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.9% of 28785 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.1% of 22294 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.2% of 20481 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.2% of 18914 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.7% of 26976 checklistsAug 1-7: 3.0% of 19555 checklistsAug 8-14: 3.2% of 18744 checklistsAug 15-21: 3.5% of 18721 checklistsAug 22-31: 4.1% of 28763 checklistsSep 1-7: 4.3% of 23594 checklistsSep 8-14: 4.7% of 22581 checklistsSep 15-21: 6.3% of 23036 checklistsSep 22-30: 6.8% of 29687 checklistsOct 1-7: 7.0% of 24321 checklistsOct 8-14: 7.0% of 23946 checklistsOct 15-21: 7.6% of 22191 checklistsOct 22-31: 6.3% of 30161 checklistsNov 1-7: 5.3% of 21431 checklistsNov 8-14: 5.5% of 22758 checklistsNov 15-21: 4.8% of 19988 checklistsNov 22-30: 4.5% of 27665 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.3% of 19324 checklistsDec 8-14: 4.5% of 20316 checklistsDec 15-21: 4.3% of 25675 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.0% of 38677 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 Virginia 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 Virginia

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Northampton CountyBest the second week of October · 794 checklists that week, 27,227 in all31%
  2. Buena Vista CountyBest the second week of July · 11 checklists that week, 525 in all24%
  3. Falls Church CountyBest the second week of September · 21 checklists that week, 1,687 in all18%
  4. Clarke CountyBest late September · 237 checklists that week, 8,388 in all18%
  5. Portsmouth CountyBest mid September · 51 checklists that week, 3,085 in all17%
  6. Norfolk CountyBest late August · 477 checklists that week, 21,204 in all16%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Kiptopeke State Park (Butlers Bluff)Northampton County, best mid October · 90 checklists that week, 868 in all73%
  2. Rockfish GapAugusta County, best late October · 57 checklists that week, 986 in all64%
  3. KiptopekeNorthampton County, best mid October · 27 checklists that week, 504 in all61%
  4. Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife RefugeNorthampton County, best the second week of October · 56 checklists that week, 1,401 in all51%
  5. Magothy Bay State Natural Area PreserveNorthampton County, best mid October · 55 checklists that week, 855 in all48%
  6. Kiptopeke State ParkNorthampton County, best mid October · 66 checklists that week, 1,648 in all46%

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

Best time of day

In Virginia, the Cooper's Hawk is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (4.7% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (485) to judge1 am: too few checklists (488) to judge2 am: too few checklists (423) to judge3 am: too few checklists (565) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1410) to judge5 am: too few checklists (10265) to judge6 am: 4.5% of 64788 checklists7 am: 4.8% of 169128 checklists8 am: 4.2% of 180748 checklists9 am: 3.8% of 153462 checklists10 am: 3.6% of 128966 checklists11 am: 3.5% of 104204 checklists12 pm: 3.5% of 91604 checklists1 pm: 3.6% of 85547 checklists2 pm: 3.3% of 82355 checklists3 pm: 3.5% of 82265 checklists4 pm: 3.4% of 76714 checklists5 pm: 2.7% of 56782 checklists6 pm: 2.4% of 40131 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24290) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (7744) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2383) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1122) 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
January3.6%3.8%3.6%3.6%
February3.4%2.9%2.9%3.4%
March3.4%4.1%3.9%4.2%
April3.9%3.8%3.5%3.2%
May2.6%2.1%1.8%1.8%
June1.8%2.1%1.9%1.9%
July2.1%2.2%2.2%2.7%
August3.0%3.2%3.5%4.1%
September4.3%4.7%6.3%6.8%
October7.0%7.0%7.6%6.3%
November5.3%5.5%4.8%4.5%
December4.3%4.5%4.3%4.0%

Neighboring states

  • District of Columbia: arrives mid July, 2 weeks later than Virginia
  • Maryland: arrives the second week of September, 9 weeks later than Virginia
  • West Virginia: arrives the second week of June, 3 weeks earlier than Virginia
  • Delaware: arrives early September, 8 weeks later than Virginia

Common questions

When do Cooper's Hawks arrive in Virginia?
Cooper's Hawks are winter birds in Virginia: the first arrive in early July, they are common by early August, peak in the second week of October (7.2% of checklists), and most are gone by late April.
When do Cooper's Hawks leave Virginia?
Most Cooper's Hawks have left Virginia by late April, 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 Virginia?
The Cooper's Hawk is reported most often in the second week of October, on about 7.2% of Virginia checklists.
Where in Virginia are Cooper's Hawks seen most often?
By county, Northampton County, Buena Vista County, and Falls Church County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Cooper's Hawk (counties with at least 200 checklists).