WhenToBird

Buteo jamaicensis · Accipitridae

When Do Red-tailed Hawks Arrive in Illinois?

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

The Red-tailed Hawk is in Illinois all year. It turns up on about 21% of checklists at its peak (the second week of November) and on 9.6% in its quietest week (mid June).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekNov 8-14the second week of November
Quietest weekJun 15-21mid June

Best: the second week of November. Here all year. Peak: on about 21% of Illinois checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  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%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 18% of 29700 checklistsJan 8-14: 17% of 20189 checklistsJan 15-21: 17% of 19784 checklistsJan 22-31: 18% of 26641 checklistsFeb 1-7: 19% of 20478 checklistsFeb 8-14: 16% of 21967 checklistsFeb 15-21: 16% of 28735 checklistsFeb 22-28: 20% of 24223 checklistsMar 1-7: 20% of 26775 checklistsMar 8-14: 19% of 27579 checklistsMar 15-21: 18% of 27193 checklistsMar 22-31: 17% of 42278 checklistsApr 1-7: 16% of 34579 checklistsApr 8-14: 16% of 38290 checklistsApr 15-21: 14% of 39261 checklistsApr 22-30: 13% of 59584 checklistsMay 1-7: 14% of 60485 checklistsMay 8-14: 12% of 59647 checklistsMay 15-21: 12% of 43173 checklistsMay 22-31: 13% of 47913 checklistsJun 1-7: 10% of 31151 checklistsJun 8-14: 9.7% of 27692 checklistsJun 15-21: 9.7% of 23983 checklistsJun 22-30: 9.3% of 28448 checklistsJul 1-7: 11% of 21273 checklistsJul 8-14: 11% of 19284 checklistsJul 15-21: 12% of 17712 checklistsJul 22-31: 13% of 24500 checklistsAug 1-7: 14% of 18498 checklistsAug 8-14: 14% of 19331 checklistsAug 15-21: 14% of 19983 checklistsAug 22-31: 13% of 31892 checklistsSep 1-7: 14% of 26396 checklistsSep 8-14: 14% of 25011 checklistsSep 15-21: 14% of 23597 checklistsSep 22-30: 16% of 30638 checklistsOct 1-7: 17% of 23949 checklistsOct 8-14: 18% of 24412 checklistsOct 15-21: 20% of 22359 checklistsOct 22-31: 20% of 29794 checklistsNov 1-7: 21% of 21877 checklistsNov 8-14: 21% of 19742 checklistsNov 15-21: 20% of 18989 checklistsNov 22-30: 21% of 23905 checklistsDec 1-7: 17% of 16935 checklistsDec 8-14: 18% of 16687 checklistsDec 15-21: 20% of 20931 checklistsDec 22-31: 18% of 29011 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 Illinois 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 Illinois

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Putnam CountyBest the second week of January · 18 checklists that week, 3,333 in all63%
  2. Perry CountyBest mid January · 20 checklists that week, 783 in all56%
  3. Scott CountyBest late February · 12 checklists that week, 320 in all54%
  4. Jasper CountyBest the second week of February · 11 checklists that week, 1,292 in all53%
  5. Ford CountyBest the second week of December · 13 checklists that week, 762 in all52%
  6. Calhoun CountyBest early January · 21 checklists that week, 786 in all48%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Sand Pond (Kellogg Creek)Lake County, best early November · 53 checklists that week, 544 in all87%
  2. Miller MeadowCook County, best early March · 26 checklists that week, 989 in all82%
  3. Mallard Lake 7DuPage County, best late December · 22 checklists that week, 998 in all74%

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

Best time of day

In Illinois, the Red-tailed Hawk is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (20% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%12 am: too few checklists (484) to judge1 am: too few checklists (631) to judge2 am: too few checklists (485) to judge3 am: too few checklists (610) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2321) to judge5 am: too few checklists (23536) to judge6 am: 9.9% of 95511 checklists7 am: 14% of 164584 checklists8 am: 16% of 163654 checklists9 am: 18% of 141804 checklists10 am: 20% of 122882 checklists11 am: 19% of 100640 checklists12 pm: 19% of 89894 checklists1 pm: 19% of 82729 checklists2 pm: 18% of 79801 checklists3 pm: 15% of 82169 checklists4 pm: 12% of 75124 checklists5 pm: 9.4% of 57708 checklists6 pm: 7.1% of 41843 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (20943) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (6131) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1677) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (843) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (448) 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
January18%17%17%18%
February19%16%16%20%
March20%19%18%17%
April16%16%14%13%
May14%12%12%13%
June10%9.7%9.7%9.3%
July11%11%12%13%
August14%14%14%13%
September14%14%14%16%
October17%18%20%20%
November21%21%20%21%
December17%18%20%18%

Neighboring states

  • Indiana: year-round, peaks late December
  • Wisconsin: year-round, peaks early March
  • Michigan: year-round, peaks early March
  • Iowa: all year, most in winter, peaks the second week of November

Common questions

When do Red-tailed Hawks arrive in Illinois?
The Red-tailed Hawk is in Illinois all year. It turns up on about 21% of checklists at its peak (the second week of November) and on 9.6% in its quietest week (mid June).
When do Red-tailed Hawks leave Illinois?
The Red-tailed Hawk does not leave Illinois: it is reported all year, from 9.6% of checklists in mid June to 21% in the second week of November.
When is the best time to see a Red-tailed Hawk in Illinois?
The Red-tailed Hawk is reported most often in the second week of November, on about 21% of Illinois checklists.
Where in Illinois are Red-tailed Hawks seen most often?
By county, Putnam County, Perry County, and Scott County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-tailed Hawk (counties with at least 200 checklists).