WhenToBird

Buteo lineatus · Accipitridae

When Do Red-shouldered Hawks Arrive in Missouri?

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

The Red-shouldered Hawk is in Missouri all year. It turns up on about 17% of checklists at its peak (mid September) and on 8.4% in its quietest week (early August).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekSep 15-21mid September
Quietest weekAug 1-7early August

Best: mid September. Here all year. Peak: on about 17% of Missouri checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 9.1% of 12628 checklistsJan 8-14: 9.3% of 9076 checklistsJan 15-21: 9.5% of 8790 checklistsJan 22-31: 9.9% of 11986 checklistsFeb 1-7: 12% of 8987 checklistsFeb 8-14: 9.4% of 10394 checklistsFeb 15-21: 9.6% of 15472 checklistsFeb 22-28: 14% of 9917 checklistsMar 1-7: 14% of 9877 checklistsMar 8-14: 14% of 9570 checklistsMar 15-21: 13% of 10274 checklistsMar 22-31: 13% of 16156 checklistsApr 1-7: 13% of 12774 checklistsApr 8-14: 13% of 14048 checklistsApr 15-21: 13% of 14894 checklistsApr 22-30: 12% of 23288 checklistsMay 1-7: 12% of 22645 checklistsMay 8-14: 11% of 21384 checklistsMay 15-21: 11% of 13989 checklistsMay 22-31: 11% of 15784 checklistsJun 1-7: 9.8% of 9691 checklistsJun 8-14: 10% of 9036 checklistsJun 15-21: 10% of 7907 checklistsJun 22-30: 11% of 9831 checklistsJul 1-7: 12% of 8008 checklistsJul 8-14: 9.4% of 7202 checklistsJul 15-21: 9.6% of 7151 checklistsJul 22-31: 7.8% of 9833 checklistsAug 1-7: 8.5% of 7639 checklistsAug 8-14: 9.1% of 7507 checklistsAug 15-21: 9.9% of 7429 checklistsAug 22-31: 12% of 11182 checklistsSep 1-7: 16% of 9471 checklistsSep 8-14: 17% of 8501 checklistsSep 15-21: 17% of 8169 checklistsSep 22-30: 18% of 11572 checklistsOct 1-7: 15% of 9028 checklistsOct 8-14: 14% of 9413 checklistsOct 15-21: 14% of 8656 checklistsOct 22-31: 11% of 11625 checklistsNov 1-7: 11% of 8627 checklistsNov 8-14: 10% of 8284 checklistsNov 15-21: 9.3% of 8075 checklistsNov 22-30: 9.3% of 10430 checklistsDec 1-7: 8.7% of 7870 checklistsDec 8-14: 9.4% of 7567 checklistsDec 15-21: 11% of 9696 checklistsDec 22-31: 11% of 13142 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 Missouri 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 Missouri

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Cass CountyBest the second week of September · 118 checklists that week, 7,791 in all49%
  2. Randolph CountyBest early August · 14 checklists that week, 838 in all46%
  3. Henry CountyBest late January · 45 checklists that week, 2,306 in all44%
  4. Webster CountyBest late October · 14 checklists that week, 750 in all41%
  5. Crawford CountyBest early March · 16 checklists that week, 1,081 in all41%
  6. Callaway CountyBest the second week of March · 73 checklists that week, 3,812 in all41%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Forum Nature AreaBoone County, best the second week of April · 40 checklists that week, 1,100 in all74%
  2. 3M Flat Branch-Hinkson Creek WetlandsBoone County, best the second week of February · 21 checklists that week, 2,233 in all74%
  3. Port Hudson Lake Conservation AreaFranklin County, best late October · 23 checklists that week, 457 in all64%
  4. Bee Tree County ParkSt. Louis County, best mid February · 20 checklists that week, 562 in all64%
  5. Three Creeks Conservation AreaBoone County, best the second week of May · 25 checklists that week, 281 in all63%

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

Best time of day

In Missouri, the Red-shouldered Hawk is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (15% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%12 am: too few checklists (205) to judge1 am: too few checklists (179) to judge2 am: too few checklists (204) to judge3 am: too few checklists (216) to judge4 am: too few checklists (630) to judge5 am: too few checklists (5072) to judge6 am: 17% of 27231 checklists7 am: 15% of 64162 checklists8 am: 13% of 67854 checklists9 am: 14% of 56515 checklists10 am: 14% of 47496 checklists11 am: 12% of 38845 checklists12 pm: 11% of 33383 checklists1 pm: 10% of 32503 checklists2 pm: 9.5% of 32615 checklists3 pm: 7.8% of 32514 checklists4 pm: 6.7% of 30274 checklists5 pm: 6.2% of 23446 checklists6 pm: 4.9% of 16374 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (10236) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (3133) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (722) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (405) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (261) 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
January9.1%9.3%9.5%9.9%
February12%9.4%9.6%14%
March14%14%13%13%
April13%13%13%12%
May12%11%11%11%
June9.8%10%10%11%
July12%9.4%9.6%7.8%
August8.5%9.1%9.9%12%
September16%17%17%18%
October15%14%14%11%
November11%10%9.3%9.3%
December8.7%9.4%11%11%

Neighboring states

  • Arkansas: year-round, peaks the second week of September
  • Iowa: summer visitor, peaks mid September
  • Kansas: year-round, peaks late September
  • Illinois: summer visitor, peaks the second week of September

Common questions

When do Red-shouldered Hawks arrive in Missouri?
The Red-shouldered Hawk is in Missouri all year. It turns up on about 17% of checklists at its peak (mid September) and on 8.4% in its quietest week (early August).
When do Red-shouldered Hawks leave Missouri?
The Red-shouldered Hawk does not leave Missouri: it is reported all year, from 8.4% of checklists in early August to 17% in mid September.
When is the best time to see a Red-shouldered Hawk in Missouri?
The Red-shouldered Hawk is reported most often in mid September, on about 17% of Missouri checklists.
Where in Missouri are Red-shouldered Hawks seen most often?
By county, Cass County, Randolph County, and Henry County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-shouldered Hawk (counties with at least 200 checklists).