WhenToBird

Buteo jamaicensis · Accipitridae

When Do Red-tailed Hawks Arrive in Arkansas?

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

Red-tailed Hawks are in Arkansas all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from mid October, peak in late December (16% of checklists), and fall back by late March. In the quietest week (the second week of June) they are still on about 4.6% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildOct 15-21mid October
PeakDec 22-31late December
Fall back byMar 22-31late March
FewestJun 8-14the second week of June

Best: late December. Here all year; numbers build from mid October and fall back by late March. Peak: on about 16% of Arkansas checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 17% of 5292 checklistsJan 8-14: 15% of 4085 checklistsJan 15-21: 12% of 4531 checklistsJan 22-31: 11% of 6500 checklistsFeb 1-7: 12% of 4752 checklistsFeb 8-14: 10% of 5385 checklistsFeb 15-21: 11% of 7219 checklistsFeb 22-28: 13% of 4163 checklistsMar 1-7: 14% of 3952 checklistsMar 8-14: 12% of 4067 checklistsMar 15-21: 12% of 4446 checklistsMar 22-31: 11% of 6911 checklistsApr 1-7: 9.6% of 5422 checklistsApr 8-14: 8.7% of 6043 checklistsApr 15-21: 8.2% of 6759 checklistsApr 22-30: 7.4% of 10236 checklistsMay 1-7: 8.1% of 8243 checklistsMay 8-14: 7.2% of 7467 checklistsMay 15-21: 6.2% of 6160 checklistsMay 22-31: 5.7% of 7287 checklistsJun 1-7: 4.1% of 4884 checklistsJun 8-14: 4.6% of 4444 checklistsJun 15-21: 5.4% of 3579 checklistsJun 22-30: 5.8% of 3858 checklistsJul 1-7: 5.9% of 3042 checklistsJul 8-14: 6.3% of 2889 checklistsJul 15-21: 6.4% of 2599 checklistsJul 22-31: 5.4% of 3825 checklistsAug 1-7: 6.4% of 2951 checklistsAug 8-14: 6.1% of 2765 checklistsAug 15-21: 6.4% of 2838 checklistsAug 22-31: 6.5% of 4360 checklistsSep 1-7: 6.2% of 3573 checklistsSep 8-14: 5.4% of 3314 checklistsSep 15-21: 4.7% of 3118 checklistsSep 22-30: 7.4% of 4381 checklistsOct 1-7: 8.8% of 3640 checklistsOct 8-14: 10% of 4119 checklistsOct 15-21: 12% of 3810 checklistsOct 22-31: 13% of 4956 checklistsNov 1-7: 15% of 3704 checklistsNov 8-14: 16% of 3678 checklistsNov 15-21: 16% of 3457 checklistsNov 22-30: 15% of 4648 checklistsDec 1-7: 16% of 3390 checklistsDec 8-14: 14% of 3510 checklistsDec 15-21: 18% of 4540 checklistsDec 22-31: 15% of 6404 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 Arkansas 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 Arkansas

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Mississippi CountyBest early February · 13 checklists that week, 726 in all59%
  2. Clay CountyBest the second week of December · 14 checklists that week, 871 in all57%
  3. Lincoln CountyBest mid February · 13 checklists that week, 216 in all57%
  4. Prairie CountyBest mid January · 20 checklists that week, 889 in all57%
  5. Desha CountyBest mid November · 45 checklists that week, 756 in all56%
  6. Poinsett CountyBest late November · 21 checklists that week, 661 in all55%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Upper PondBenton County, best late February · 40 checklists that week, 2,250 in all70%
  2. Bald Knob National Wildlife RefugeWhite County, best early November · 57 checklists that week, 1,945 in all64%

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

Best time of day

In Arkansas, the Red-tailed Hawk is most often listed on checklists started between 11 am and 1 pm (14% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (98) to judge1 am: too few checklists (88) to judge2 am: too few checklists (95) to judge3 am: too few checklists (94) to judge4 am: too few checklists (145) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1455) to judge6 am: 6.5% of 10807 checklists7 am: 7.2% of 27761 checklists8 am: 8.0% of 30943 checklists9 am: 11% of 26975 checklists10 am: 12% of 21989 checklists11 am: 14% of 16828 checklists12 pm: 13% of 14069 checklists1 pm: 13% of 13145 checklists2 pm: 13% of 12780 checklists3 pm: 12% of 12723 checklists4 pm: 8.9% of 12500 checklists5 pm: 7.0% of 9576 checklists6 pm: 4.3% of 7182 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (4187) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (1314) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (245) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (122) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (75) 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
January17%15%12%11%
February12%10%11%13%
March14%12%12%11%
April9.6%8.7%8.2%7.4%
May8.1%7.2%6.2%5.7%
June4.1%4.6%5.4%5.8%
July5.9%6.3%6.4%5.4%
August6.4%6.1%6.4%6.5%
September6.2%5.4%4.7%7.4%
October8.8%10%12%13%
November15%16%16%15%
December16%14%18%15%

Neighboring states

  • Missouri: year-round, peaks the second week of December
  • Oklahoma: arrives the second week of October, 1 week earlier than Arkansas
  • Kansas: year-round, peaks the second week of December
  • Mississippi: arrives late October, 1 week later than Arkansas

Common questions

When do Red-tailed Hawks arrive in Arkansas?
Red-tailed Hawks are in Arkansas all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from mid October, peak in late December (16% of checklists), and fall back by late March. In the quietest week (the second week of June) they are still on about 4.6% of checklists.
When do Red-tailed Hawks leave Arkansas?
Red-tailed Hawks never fully leave Arkansas: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by late March, but some are still reported in every week, about 4.6% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Red-tailed Hawk in Arkansas?
The Red-tailed Hawk is reported most often in late December, on about 16% of Arkansas checklists.
Where in Arkansas are Red-tailed Hawks seen most often?
By county, Mississippi County, Clay County, and Lincoln County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-tailed Hawk (counties with at least 200 checklists).