WhenToBird

Buteo lineatus · Accipitridae

When Do Red-shouldered Hawks Arrive in New York?

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

Red-shouldered Hawks are winter birds in New York: the first arrive in early February, they are common by early March, peak in mid March (2.0% of checklists), and most are gone by late November.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 1-7early February
Common byMar 1-7early March
PeakMar 15-21mid March
Most gone byNov 22-30late November

Best: mid March. First arrivals early February; most are gone by late November. Peak: on about 2.0% of New York checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  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%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 0.8% of 66410 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.9% of 49310 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.7% of 49919 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.7% of 62513 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.8% of 43526 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.9% of 49753 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.8% of 65147 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.0% of 50173 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.2% of 50325 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.9% of 55371 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.1% of 56293 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.0% of 82677 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.6% of 65295 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.6% of 73080 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.5% of 73857 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.4% of 106093 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.3% of 102772 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.2% of 110051 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.3% of 94797 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.3% of 101272 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.3% of 59471 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.3% of 55497 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.3% of 51761 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.1% of 59219 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.0% of 48226 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.0% of 42315 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.0% of 40637 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.0% of 57183 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.9% of 40461 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.0% of 39880 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.1% of 41146 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.3% of 63381 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.4% of 48640 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.6% of 47882 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.0% of 49063 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.9% of 57906 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.8% of 48447 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.4% of 51901 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.3% of 46717 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.5% of 61992 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.4% of 44593 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.4% of 42566 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.4% of 39675 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.0% of 51197 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.9% of 36567 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.9% of 37254 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.1% of 43754 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.9% of 62470 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 New York 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 New York

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Putnam CountyBest late September · 256 checklists that week, 13,177 in all22%
  2. Sullivan CountyBest mid September · 422 checklists that week, 28,620 in all16%
  3. Dutchess CountyBest late September · 1383 checklists that week, 76,123 in all15%
  4. Allegany CountyBest late August · 213 checklists that week, 11,955 in all13%
  5. Ulster CountyBest late September · 1325 checklists that week, 71,816 in all11%
  6. Oswego CountyBest mid March · 896 checklists that week, 39,208 in all8.8%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Crab Hollow State ForestAllegany County, best mid September · 20 checklists that week, 498 in all63%
  2. Arthur W. Butler Memorial SanctuaryWestchester County, best the second week of November · 21 checklists that week, 281 in all58%
  3. Sage CreekOswego County, best mid March · 86 checklists that week, 2,124 in all55%
  4. Jordan PondPutnam County, best late September · 22 checklists that week, 648 in all52%
  5. Rockland Lake State Park (Hook Mountain)Rockland County, best late October · 21 checklists that week, 246 in all52%
  6. Fort Washington ParkNew York County, best the second week of November · 42 checklists that week, 344 in all50%

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

Best time of day

In New York, the Red-shouldered Hawk is most often listed on checklists started between 9 and 11 am (1.7% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%12 am: too few checklists (1146) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1055) to judge2 am: too few checklists (1121) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1353) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4785) to judge5 am: too few checklists (32052) to judge6 am: 1.7% of 124869 checklists7 am: 1.6% of 298506 checklists8 am: 1.6% of 337334 checklists9 am: 1.7% of 307787 checklists10 am: 1.7% of 270801 checklists11 am: 1.5% of 233238 checklists12 pm: 1.3% of 213830 checklists1 pm: 1.1% of 193321 checklists2 pm: 0.9% of 180741 checklists3 pm: 0.7% of 170348 checklists4 pm: 0.6% of 147224 checklists5 pm: 0.4% of 111962 checklists6 pm: 0.4% of 78261 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (44425) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (15648) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4795) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2454) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1378) 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
January0.8%0.9%0.7%0.7%
February0.8%0.9%0.8%1.0%
March1.2%1.9%2.1%2.0%
April1.6%1.6%1.5%1.4%
May1.3%1.2%1.3%1.3%
June1.3%1.3%1.3%1.1%
July1.0%1.0%1.0%1.0%
August0.9%1.0%1.1%1.3%
September1.4%1.6%2.0%1.9%
October1.8%1.4%1.3%1.5%
November1.4%1.4%1.4%1.0%
December0.9%0.9%1.1%0.9%

Neighboring states

  • Connecticut: arrives early September, 20 weeks earlier than New York
  • New Jersey: arrives the second week of August, 23 weeks earlier than New York
  • Pennsylvania: arrives early September, 20 weeks earlier than New York
  • Vermont: arrives the second week of March, 5 weeks later than New York

Common questions

When do Red-shouldered Hawks arrive in New York?
Red-shouldered Hawks are winter birds in New York: the first arrive in early February, they are common by early March, peak in mid March (2.0% of checklists), and most are gone by late November.
When do Red-shouldered Hawks leave New York?
Most Red-shouldered Hawks have left New York by late November, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early January.
When is the best time to see a Red-shouldered Hawk in New York?
The Red-shouldered Hawk is reported most often in mid March, on about 2.0% of New York checklists.
Where in New York are Red-shouldered Hawks seen most often?
By county, Putnam County, Sullivan County, and Dutchess County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-shouldered Hawk (counties with at least 200 checklists).