WhenToBird

Buteo lineatus · Accipitridae

When Do Red-shouldered Hawks Arrive in Minnesota?

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

Red-shouldered Hawks are winter birds in Minnesota: they arrive in late February, peak in mid March (1.4% of checklists), and most are gone by mid October.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 22-28late February
Common byFeb 22-28late February
PeakMar 15-21mid March
Most gone byOct 15-21mid October

Best: mid March. First arrivals late February; most are gone by mid October. Peak: on about 1.4% of Minnesota checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decrare

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%Jan 1-7: 0.2% of 20628 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.2% of 14594 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.2% of 14238 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.3% of 20725 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.2% of 14484 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.2% of 15988 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.3% of 20718 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.3% of 15754 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.9% of 16125 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.4% of 19035 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.5% of 19586 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.4% of 30192 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.4% of 24262 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.3% of 30223 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.9% of 29085 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.0% of 43574 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.2% of 39300 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.3% of 45927 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.9% of 36632 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.9% of 43809 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.9% of 23418 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.7% of 20450 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.8% of 19470 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.7% of 23418 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.6% of 19104 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.7% of 16927 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.8% of 15635 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.8% of 22073 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.7% of 16255 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.7% of 16840 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.9% of 17475 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.9% of 26545 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.1% of 20750 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.3% of 18494 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.3% of 18215 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.2% of 24463 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.9% of 18252 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.6% of 19527 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.5% of 17098 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.4% of 24570 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.3% of 16744 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.3% of 13483 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.2% of 12525 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 17023 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.2% of 11645 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.2% of 11567 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.2% of 13343 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.2% of 19759 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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Isanti CountyBest early March · 15 checklists that week, 2,785 in all14%
  2. Wright CountyBest mid May · 365 checklists that week, 11,253 in all9.7%
  3. Becker CountyBest mid September · 111 checklists that week, 8,604 in all9.3%
  4. Morrison CountyBest mid March · 68 checklists that week, 3,424 in all8.2%
  5. Sherburne CountyBest the second week of March · 187 checklists that week, 9,922 in all5.8%
  6. Steele CountyBest the second week of October · 79 checklists that week, 4,784 in all5.5%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Villa ParkRamsey County, best late March · 22 checklists that week, 273 in all37%
  2. Wolsfeld Woods State Scientific and Natural AreaHennepin County, best mid May · 21 checklists that week, 173 in all35%
  3. Lake Maria State ParkWright County, best early June · 22 checklists that week, 307 in all32%
  4. Oakdale Nature Preserve ParkWashington County, best the second week of March · 27 checklists that week, 2,380 in all30%
  5. Rapids LakeCarver County, best early April · 27 checklists that week, 591 in all25%
  6. William O'Brien State ParkWashington County, best early April · 35 checklists that week, 1,335 in all21%

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

Best time of day

In Minnesota, the Red-shouldered Hawk is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (1.1% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%12 am: too few checklists (349) to judge1 am: too few checklists (331) to judge2 am: too few checklists (286) to judge3 am: too few checklists (364) to judge4 am: too few checklists (863) to judge5 am: too few checklists (7598) to judge6 am: 1.4% of 35775 checklists7 am: 1.0% of 90565 checklists8 am: 1.0% of 110612 checklists9 am: 1.1% of 106128 checklists10 am: 0.9% of 96131 checklists11 am: 0.9% of 83750 checklists12 pm: 0.7% of 76254 checklists1 pm: 0.7% of 73480 checklists2 pm: 0.7% of 73703 checklists3 pm: 0.6% of 75249 checklists4 pm: 0.5% of 68810 checklists5 pm: 0.5% of 51899 checklists6 pm: 0.4% of 38524 checklists7 pm: 0.2% of 25120 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (10568) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2420) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (748) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (420) 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
January0.2%0.2%0.2%0.3%
February0.2%0.2%0.3%0.3%
March0.9%1.4%1.5%1.4%
April1.4%1.3%0.9%1.0%
May1.2%1.3%0.9%0.9%
June0.9%0.7%0.8%0.7%
July0.6%0.7%0.8%0.8%
August0.7%0.7%0.9%0.9%
September1.1%1.3%1.3%1.2%
October0.9%0.6%0.5%0.4%
November0.3%0.3%0.2%0.1%
December0.2%0.2%0.2%0.2%

Neighboring states

  • Iowa: arrives late January, 4 weeks earlier than Minnesota
  • Illinois: arrives mid June, 15 weeks later than Minnesota
  • Missouri: year-round, peaks mid September
  • Michigan: arrives the second week of December, 10 weeks earlier than Minnesota

Common questions

When do Red-shouldered Hawks arrive in Minnesota?
Red-shouldered Hawks are winter birds in Minnesota: they arrive in late February, peak in mid March (1.4% of checklists), and most are gone by mid October.
When do Red-shouldered Hawks leave Minnesota?
Most Red-shouldered Hawks have left Minnesota by mid October, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Red-shouldered Hawk in Minnesota?
The Red-shouldered Hawk is reported most often in mid March, on about 1.4% of Minnesota checklists.
Where in Minnesota are Red-shouldered Hawks seen most often?
By county, Isanti County, Wright County, and Becker County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-shouldered Hawk (counties with at least 200 checklists).