WhenToBird

Buteo jamaicensis · Accipitridae

When Do Red-tailed Hawks Arrive in Connecticut?

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

The Red-tailed Hawk is in Connecticut all year. It turns up on about 17% of checklists at its peak (the second week of November) and on 7.9% in its quietest week (early July).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekNov 8-14the second week of November
Quietest weekJul 1-7early July

Best: the second week of November. Here all year. Peak: on about 17% of Connecticut checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  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: 13% of 18950 checklistsJan 8-14: 14% of 13676 checklistsJan 15-21: 14% of 13377 checklistsJan 22-31: 14% of 17004 checklistsFeb 1-7: 13% of 10218 checklistsFeb 8-14: 14% of 11568 checklistsFeb 15-21: 13% of 15916 checklistsFeb 22-28: 14% of 11413 checklistsMar 1-7: 14% of 10754 checklistsMar 8-14: 15% of 12051 checklistsMar 15-21: 15% of 12616 checklistsMar 22-31: 14% of 17801 checklistsApr 1-7: 14% of 13186 checklistsApr 8-14: 15% of 14428 checklistsApr 15-21: 15% of 14738 checklistsApr 22-30: 15% of 21753 checklistsMay 1-7: 15% of 22494 checklistsMay 8-14: 15% of 23363 checklistsMay 15-21: 13% of 20219 checklistsMay 22-31: 11% of 20778 checklistsJun 1-7: 11% of 12234 checklistsJun 8-14: 12% of 12491 checklistsJun 15-21: 9.2% of 10856 checklistsJun 22-30: 7.9% of 11964 checklistsJul 1-7: 8.0% of 9437 checklistsJul 8-14: 7.6% of 8599 checklistsJul 15-21: 8.2% of 8252 checklistsJul 22-31: 9.1% of 11329 checklistsAug 1-7: 9.2% of 8116 checklistsAug 8-14: 9.3% of 8051 checklistsAug 15-21: 9.4% of 8502 checklistsAug 22-31: 10% of 13673 checklistsSep 1-7: 10% of 9873 checklistsSep 8-14: 11% of 9735 checklistsSep 15-21: 14% of 10120 checklistsSep 22-30: 13% of 12543 checklistsOct 1-7: 13% of 10735 checklistsOct 8-14: 16% of 10869 checklistsOct 15-21: 17% of 10436 checklistsOct 22-31: 16% of 13808 checklistsNov 1-7: 17% of 10507 checklistsNov 8-14: 17% of 9827 checklistsNov 15-21: 17% of 9904 checklistsNov 22-30: 16% of 13396 checklistsDec 1-7: 14% of 8974 checklistsDec 8-14: 14% of 9468 checklistsDec 15-21: 17% of 11614 checklistsDec 22-31: 13% of 16616 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 Connecticut 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 Connecticut

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Windham CountyBest early February · 243 checklists that week, 19,034 in all22%
  2. Hartford CountyBest the second week of April · 2465 checklists that week, 105,735 in all21%
  3. Fairfield CountyBest the second week of November · 2105 checklists that week, 139,848 in all20%
  4. Tolland CountyBest early February · 504 checklists that week, 39,004 in all19%
  5. New Haven CountyBest the second week of November · 2304 checklists that week, 139,721 in all18%
  6. Middlesex CountyBest mid March · 853 checklists that week, 39,919 in all17%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Glastonbury MeadowsHartford County, best late October · 23 checklists that week, 683 in all90%
  2. Fredrick White FarmMiddlesex County, best the second week of January · 22 checklists that week, 1,286 in all73%
  3. Brooksvale StreamNew Haven County, best the second week of August · 26 checklists that week, 167 in all73%
  4. Quinebaug Fish HatcheryWindham County, best the second week of December · 20 checklists that week, 1,048 in all71%

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

Best time of day

In Connecticut, the Red-tailed Hawk is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (16% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%12 am: too few checklists (325) to judge1 am: too few checklists (367) to judge2 am: too few checklists (488) to judge3 am: too few checklists (792) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2722) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9489) to judge6 am: 9.9% of 33657 checklists7 am: 12% of 62964 checklists8 am: 14% of 70645 checklists9 am: 16% of 64870 checklists10 am: 17% of 58827 checklists11 am: 16% of 51689 checklists12 pm: 16% of 45288 checklists1 pm: 15% of 44765 checklists2 pm: 14% of 44173 checklists3 pm: 12% of 41979 checklists4 pm: 10% of 33219 checklists5 pm: 8.4% of 24828 checklists6 pm: 6.1% of 15856 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (8126) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (1994) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (533) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (349) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (286) 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
January13%14%14%14%
February13%14%13%14%
March14%15%15%14%
April14%15%15%15%
May15%15%13%11%
June11%12%9.2%7.9%
July8.0%7.6%8.2%9.1%
August9.2%9.3%9.4%10%
September10%11%14%13%
October13%16%17%16%
November17%17%17%16%
December14%14%17%13%

Neighboring states

  • Rhode Island: year-round, peaks early November
  • Massachusetts: year-round, peaks the second week of November
  • New Jersey: year-round, peaks the second week of November
  • New York: year-round, peaks the second week of March

Common questions

When do Red-tailed Hawks arrive in Connecticut?
The Red-tailed Hawk is in Connecticut all year. It turns up on about 17% of checklists at its peak (the second week of November) and on 7.9% in its quietest week (early July).
When do Red-tailed Hawks leave Connecticut?
The Red-tailed Hawk does not leave Connecticut: it is reported all year, from 7.9% of checklists in early July to 17% in the second week of November.
When is the best time to see a Red-tailed Hawk in Connecticut?
The Red-tailed Hawk is reported most often in the second week of November, on about 17% of Connecticut checklists.
Where in Connecticut are Red-tailed Hawks seen most often?
By county, Windham County, Hartford County, and Fairfield County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-tailed Hawk (counties with at least 200 checklists).