WhenToBird

Buteo jamaicensis · Accipitridae

When Do Red-tailed Hawks Arrive in Kansas?

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

The Red-tailed Hawk is in Kansas all year. It turns up on about 29% of checklists at its peak (the second week of December) and on 12% in its quietest week (late August).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekDec 8-14the second week of December
Quietest weekAug 22-31late August

Best: the second week of December. Here all year. Peak: on about 29% of Kansas checklists.

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

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 30% of 8683 checklistsJan 8-14: 28% of 5710 checklistsJan 15-21: 27% of 5453 checklistsJan 22-31: 29% of 7868 checklistsFeb 1-7: 28% of 5579 checklistsFeb 8-14: 24% of 6307 checklistsFeb 15-21: 22% of 7830 checklistsFeb 22-28: 27% of 6124 checklistsMar 1-7: 25% of 6442 checklistsMar 8-14: 25% of 6925 checklistsMar 15-21: 25% of 7257 checklistsMar 22-31: 22% of 11527 checklistsApr 1-7: 19% of 8908 checklistsApr 8-14: 17% of 11070 checklistsApr 15-21: 17% of 11050 checklistsApr 22-30: 15% of 16381 checklistsMay 1-7: 14% of 15899 checklistsMay 8-14: 13% of 15349 checklistsMay 15-21: 12% of 10474 checklistsMay 22-31: 12% of 11264 checklistsJun 1-7: 12% of 6783 checklistsJun 8-14: 12% of 5654 checklistsJun 15-21: 12% of 4716 checklistsJun 22-30: 12% of 6232 checklistsJul 1-7: 13% of 5073 checklistsJul 8-14: 13% of 4528 checklistsJul 15-21: 12% of 4210 checklistsJul 22-31: 13% of 5986 checklistsAug 1-7: 13% of 4661 checklistsAug 8-14: 13% of 4762 checklistsAug 15-21: 11% of 4823 checklistsAug 22-31: 11% of 7214 checklistsSep 1-7: 13% of 5989 checklistsSep 8-14: 12% of 5549 checklistsSep 15-21: 14% of 5255 checklistsSep 22-30: 15% of 7370 checklistsOct 1-7: 19% of 5829 checklistsOct 8-14: 21% of 6183 checklistsOct 15-21: 25% of 5504 checklistsOct 22-31: 28% of 7289 checklistsNov 1-7: 29% of 5535 checklistsNov 8-14: 29% of 5462 checklistsNov 15-21: 28% of 4929 checklistsNov 22-30: 30% of 6627 checklistsDec 1-7: 29% of 4670 checklistsDec 8-14: 29% of 4805 checklistsDec 15-21: 30% of 6341 checklistsDec 22-31: 29% of 8186 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 Kansas 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 Kansas

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Comanche CountyBest late January · 28 checklists that week, 769 in all73%
  2. Linn CountyBest mid November · 41 checklists that week, 2,601 in all73%
  3. Kearny CountyBest early October · 14 checklists that week, 452 in all71%
  4. Clay CountyBest mid December · 25 checklists that week, 663 in all68%
  5. Hodgeman CountyBest the second week of January · 12 checklists that week, 670 in all64%
  6. Dickinson CountyBest late October · 11 checklists that week, 484 in all61%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Kcpl WetlandJohnson County, best mid November · 20 checklists that week, 2,237 in all79%
  2. Baker University WetlandsDouglas County, best early February · 21 checklists that week, 1,611 in all77%
  3. Cheney State ParkReno County, best the second week of November · 31 checklists that week, 1,708 in all73%
  4. Hillsdale State ParkMiami County, best early January · 20 checklists that week, 432 in all73%

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

Best time of day

In Kansas, the Red-tailed Hawk is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (24% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (150) to judge1 am: too few checklists (119) to judge2 am: too few checklists (97) to judge3 am: too few checklists (94) to judge4 am: too few checklists (124) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1459) to judge6 am: 14% of 12550 checklists7 am: 16% of 34128 checklists8 am: 19% of 45960 checklists9 am: 21% of 37806 checklists10 am: 23% of 32102 checklists11 am: 23% of 25896 checklists12 pm: 24% of 24203 checklists1 pm: 24% of 20269 checklists2 pm: 24% of 20772 checklists3 pm: 22% of 20978 checklists4 pm: 19% of 22094 checklists5 pm: 16% of 17739 checklists6 pm: 11% of 13963 checklists7 pm: 8.8% of 10110 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (4188) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (968) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (325) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (171) 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
January30%28%27%29%
February28%24%22%27%
March25%25%25%22%
April19%17%17%15%
May14%13%12%12%
June12%12%12%12%
July13%13%12%13%
August13%13%11%11%
September13%12%14%15%
October19%21%25%28%
November29%29%28%30%
December29%29%30%29%

Neighboring states

  • Nebraska: year-round, peaks late October
  • Oklahoma: all year, most in winter, peaks the second week of December
  • Missouri: year-round, peaks the second week of December
  • Arkansas: all year, most in winter, peaks late December

Common questions

When do Red-tailed Hawks arrive in Kansas?
The Red-tailed Hawk is in Kansas all year. It turns up on about 29% of checklists at its peak (the second week of December) and on 12% in its quietest week (late August).
When do Red-tailed Hawks leave Kansas?
The Red-tailed Hawk does not leave Kansas: it is reported all year, from 12% of checklists in late August to 29% in the second week of December.
When is the best time to see a Red-tailed Hawk in Kansas?
The Red-tailed Hawk is reported most often in the second week of December, on about 29% of Kansas checklists.
Where in Kansas are Red-tailed Hawks seen most often?
By county, Comanche County, Linn County, and Kearny County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-tailed Hawk (counties with at least 200 checklists).