WhenToBird

Buteo jamaicensis · Accipitridae

When Do Red-tailed Hawks Arrive in Alabama?

Adult Red-tailed Hawk
Photo: Catherine C. Galley, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Red-tailed Hawk is in Alabama all year. It turns up on about 11% of checklists at its peak (the second week of January) and on 5.1% in its quietest week (early June).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekJan 8-14the second week of January
Quietest weekJun 1-7early June

Best: the second week of January. Here all year. Peak: on about 11% of Alabama checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 12% of 8642 checklistsJan 8-14: 11% of 6607 checklistsJan 15-21: 11% of 6680 checklistsJan 22-31: 11% of 9008 checklistsFeb 1-7: 11% of 6642 checklistsFeb 8-14: 9.3% of 7568 checklistsFeb 15-21: 8.7% of 9929 checklistsFeb 22-28: 10% of 6490 checklistsMar 1-7: 9.8% of 6458 checklistsMar 8-14: 9.1% of 6570 checklistsMar 15-21: 8.4% of 6773 checklistsMar 22-31: 7.6% of 10830 checklistsApr 1-7: 6.7% of 8995 checklistsApr 8-14: 5.9% of 10390 checklistsApr 15-21: 5.4% of 12700 checklistsApr 22-30: 6.2% of 14225 checklistsMay 1-7: 7.7% of 9140 checklistsMay 8-14: 6.8% of 8111 checklistsMay 15-21: 6.2% of 6353 checklistsMay 22-31: 5.1% of 8318 checklistsJun 1-7: 4.6% of 5231 checklistsJun 8-14: 5.7% of 4757 checklistsJun 15-21: 5.6% of 4646 checklistsJun 22-30: 5.6% of 5740 checklistsJul 1-7: 6.1% of 4694 checklistsJul 8-14: 6.1% of 4178 checklistsJul 15-21: 6.8% of 4109 checklistsJul 22-31: 7.3% of 6000 checklistsAug 1-7: 7.6% of 4666 checklistsAug 8-14: 6.2% of 4468 checklistsAug 15-21: 5.6% of 4474 checklistsAug 22-31: 6.3% of 6494 checklistsSep 1-7: 5.9% of 5434 checklistsSep 8-14: 5.2% of 5216 checklistsSep 15-21: 4.7% of 5162 checklistsSep 22-30: 5.7% of 7474 checklistsOct 1-7: 5.8% of 6916 checklistsOct 8-14: 6.0% of 7332 checklistsOct 15-21: 6.8% of 6038 checklistsOct 22-31: 8.3% of 7071 checklistsNov 1-7: 10% of 5207 checklistsNov 8-14: 10% of 4883 checklistsNov 15-21: 12% of 5122 checklistsNov 22-30: 11% of 7130 checklistsDec 1-7: 11% of 4897 checklistsDec 8-14: 10% of 4738 checklistsDec 15-21: 12% of 5321 checklistsDec 22-31: 10% of 9158 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 Alabama 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 Alabama

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hale CountyBest early January · 26 checklists that week, 2,977 in all45%
  2. Perry CountyBest mid January · 23 checklists that week, 1,066 in all43%
  3. Limestone CountyBest early December · 144 checklists that week, 6,886 in all36%
  4. Henry CountyBest mid April · 11 checklists that week, 338 in all33%
  5. Talladega CountyBest mid November · 10 checklists that week, 1,149 in all33%
  6. Greene CountyBest the second week of December · 10 checklists that week, 847 in all29%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. State Cattle Ranch LakesHale County, best early August · 20 checklists that week, 154 in all69%
  2. Swan Creek Wildlife Management AreaLimestone County, best early January · 25 checklists that week, 696 in all66%
  3. Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge (Whiteside)Limestone County, best late November · 53 checklists that week, 757 in all60%

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

Best time of day

In Alabama, the Red-tailed Hawk is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (10% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (109) to judge1 am: too few checklists (111) to judge2 am: too few checklists (112) to judge3 am: too few checklists (143) to judge4 am: too few checklists (303) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4125) to judge6 am: 5.6% of 26677 checklists7 am: 7.1% of 42599 checklists8 am: 8.0% of 39919 checklists9 am: 9.2% of 34699 checklists10 am: 10% of 28551 checklists11 am: 10% of 23505 checklists12 pm: 10% of 20345 checklists1 pm: 10% of 18964 checklists2 pm: 8.3% of 20110 checklists3 pm: 7.1% of 20685 checklists4 pm: 6.0% of 19041 checklists5 pm: 4.0% of 13807 checklists6 pm: 3.1% of 8507 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (3367) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (637) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (295) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (233) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (141) 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
January12%11%11%11%
February11%9.3%8.7%10%
March9.8%9.1%8.4%7.6%
April6.7%5.9%5.4%6.2%
May7.7%6.8%6.2%5.1%
June4.6%5.7%5.6%5.6%
July6.1%6.1%6.8%7.3%
August7.6%6.2%5.6%6.3%
September5.9%5.2%4.7%5.7%
October5.8%6.0%6.8%8.3%
November10%10%12%11%
December11%10%12%10%

Neighboring states

  • Mississippi: all year, most in winter, peaks the second week of December
  • Georgia: year-round, peaks mid November
  • Tennessee: year-round, peaks mid December
  • Louisiana: all year, most in winter, peaks late December

Common questions

When do Red-tailed Hawks arrive in Alabama?
The Red-tailed Hawk is in Alabama all year. It turns up on about 11% of checklists at its peak (the second week of January) and on 5.1% in its quietest week (early June).
When do Red-tailed Hawks leave Alabama?
The Red-tailed Hawk does not leave Alabama: it is reported all year, from 5.1% of checklists in early June to 11% in the second week of January.
When is the best time to see a Red-tailed Hawk in Alabama?
The Red-tailed Hawk is reported most often in the second week of January, on about 11% of Alabama checklists.
Where in Alabama are Red-tailed Hawks seen most often?
By county, Hale County, Perry County, and Limestone County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-tailed Hawk (counties with at least 200 checklists).