WhenToBird

Buteo lineatus · Accipitridae

When Do Red-shouldered Hawks Arrive in Illinois?

Adult Red-shouldered Hawk
Photo: Jonathan Eisen, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Red-shouldered Hawks reach Illinois in mid June, are common by early August, peak in the second week of September (4.2% of checklists), and most are gone by early May.

When to look

First arrivalsJun 15-21mid June
Common byAug 1-7early August
PeakSep 8-14the second week of September
Most gone byMay 1-7early May

Best: the second week of September. First arrivals mid June; most are gone by early May. Peak: on about 4.2% of Illinois checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 3.2% of 29700 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.6% of 20189 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.8% of 19784 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.4% of 26641 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.6% of 20478 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.2% of 21967 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.7% of 28735 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.5% of 24223 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.4% of 26775 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.0% of 27579 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.7% of 27193 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.6% of 42278 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.6% of 34579 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.8% of 38290 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.8% of 39261 checklistsApr 22-30: 3.1% of 59584 checklistsMay 1-7: 2.5% of 60485 checklistsMay 8-14: 2.3% of 59647 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.9% of 43173 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.8% of 47913 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.4% of 31151 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.8% of 27692 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.7% of 23983 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.2% of 28448 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.3% of 21273 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.2% of 19284 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.0% of 17712 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.2% of 24500 checklistsAug 1-7: 2.6% of 18498 checklistsAug 8-14: 2.9% of 19331 checklistsAug 15-21: 3.2% of 19983 checklistsAug 22-31: 3.8% of 31892 checklistsSep 1-7: 4.2% of 26396 checklistsSep 8-14: 4.3% of 25011 checklistsSep 15-21: 4.3% of 23597 checklistsSep 22-30: 4.1% of 30638 checklistsOct 1-7: 4.0% of 23949 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.8% of 24412 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.3% of 22359 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.1% of 29794 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.5% of 21877 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.1% of 19742 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.1% of 18989 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.9% of 23905 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.8% of 16935 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.0% of 16687 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.6% of 20931 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.5% of 29011 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 Illinois 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 Illinois

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Wayne CountyBest mid October · 12 checklists that week, 394 in all64%
  2. Wabash CountyBest late October · 14 checklists that week, 602 in all62%
  3. Pulaski CountyBest early February · 18 checklists that week, 1,951 in all57%
  4. Richland CountyBest mid November · 11 checklists that week, 580 in all55%
  5. Hardin CountyBest early January · 12 checklists that week, 626 in all50%
  6. Johnson CountyBest early March · 24 checklists that week, 2,856 in all50%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Shawnee National Forest (Pomona)Jackson County, best the second week of April · 20 checklists that week, 282 in all64%
  2. Shawnee National ForestJackson County, best early April · 21 checklists that week, 307 in all64%
  3. Oakwood Bottoms Greentree Reservoir Interpretive SiteJackson County, best late April · 23 checklists that week, 168 in all59%
  4. Watershed Nature CenterMadison County, best late November · 28 checklists that week, 973 in all59%
  5. Mermet LakeMassac County, best late July · 21 checklists that week, 384 in all57%
  6. Eldon HazletClinton County, best early October · 22 checklists that week, 856 in all56%

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

Best time of day

In Illinois, the Red-shouldered Hawk is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (4.3% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (484) to judge1 am: too few checklists (631) to judge2 am: too few checklists (485) to judge3 am: too few checklists (610) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2321) to judge5 am: too few checklists (23536) to judge6 am: 4.4% of 95511 checklists7 am: 4.3% of 164584 checklists8 am: 3.6% of 163654 checklists9 am: 3.5% of 141804 checklists10 am: 3.3% of 122882 checklists11 am: 2.7% of 100640 checklists12 pm: 2.3% of 89894 checklists1 pm: 2.5% of 82729 checklists2 pm: 2.2% of 79801 checklists3 pm: 1.6% of 82169 checklists4 pm: 1.5% of 75124 checklists5 pm: 1.2% of 57708 checklists6 pm: 0.8% of 41843 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (20943) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (6131) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1677) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (843) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (448) 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%2.6%2.8%3.4%
February3.6%3.2%2.7%3.5%
March3.4%3.0%2.7%2.6%
April2.6%2.8%2.8%3.1%
May2.5%2.3%1.9%1.8%
June1.4%1.8%1.7%2.2%
July2.3%2.2%2.0%2.2%
August2.6%2.9%3.2%3.8%
September4.2%4.3%4.3%4.1%
October4.0%3.8%3.3%3.1%
November3.5%3.1%3.1%2.9%
December2.8%3.0%3.6%3.5%

Neighboring states

  • Indiana: year-round, peaks mid September
  • Michigan: arrives the second week of December, 23 weeks later than Illinois
  • Iowa: arrives late January, 19 weeks earlier than Illinois
  • Missouri: year-round, peaks mid September

Common questions

When do Red-shouldered Hawks arrive in Illinois?
Red-shouldered Hawks reach Illinois in mid June, are common by early August, peak in the second week of September (4.2% of checklists), and most are gone by early May.
When do Red-shouldered Hawks leave Illinois?
Most Red-shouldered Hawks have left Illinois by early May, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late May.
When is the best time to see a Red-shouldered Hawk in Illinois?
The Red-shouldered Hawk is reported most often in the second week of September, on about 4.2% of Illinois checklists.
Where in Illinois are Red-shouldered Hawks seen most often?
By county, Wayne County, Wabash County, and Pulaski County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-shouldered Hawk (counties with at least 200 checklists).