WhenToBird

Buteo jamaicensis · Accipitridae

When Do Red-tailed Hawks Arrive in Michigan?

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

The Red-tailed Hawk is in Michigan all year. It turns up on about 14% of checklists at its peak (early March) and on 6.6% in its quietest week (late June).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekMar 1-7early March
Quietest weekJun 22-30late June

Best: early March. Here all year. Peak: on about 14% of Michigan checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  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%Jan 1-7: 12% of 38160 checklistsJan 8-14: 12% of 24696 checklistsJan 15-21: 12% of 23771 checklistsJan 22-31: 13% of 31347 checklistsFeb 1-7: 13% of 23225 checklistsFeb 8-14: 12% of 27398 checklistsFeb 15-21: 10% of 36606 checklistsFeb 22-28: 14% of 27127 checklistsMar 1-7: 14% of 29700 checklistsMar 8-14: 14% of 31587 checklistsMar 15-21: 13% of 32118 checklistsMar 22-31: 12% of 47777 checklistsApr 1-7: 12% of 38557 checklistsApr 8-14: 12% of 42207 checklistsApr 15-21: 11% of 42759 checklistsApr 22-30: 11% of 64458 checklistsMay 1-7: 11% of 60998 checklistsMay 8-14: 9.7% of 72091 checklistsMay 15-21: 8.0% of 59058 checklistsMay 22-31: 7.9% of 64724 checklistsJun 1-7: 7.4% of 35990 checklistsJun 8-14: 7.5% of 32595 checklistsJun 15-21: 6.6% of 30017 checklistsJun 22-30: 6.4% of 33988 checklistsJul 1-7: 6.6% of 28708 checklistsJul 8-14: 7.5% of 25175 checklistsJul 15-21: 8.3% of 24084 checklistsJul 22-31: 9.7% of 33522 checklistsAug 1-7: 11% of 25098 checklistsAug 8-14: 11% of 24353 checklistsAug 15-21: 11% of 25059 checklistsAug 22-31: 11% of 37489 checklistsSep 1-7: 11% of 28410 checklistsSep 8-14: 10% of 27887 checklistsSep 15-21: 9.6% of 26614 checklistsSep 22-30: 9.4% of 32557 checklistsOct 1-7: 10% of 25844 checklistsOct 8-14: 11% of 27741 checklistsOct 15-21: 11% of 24693 checklistsOct 22-31: 12% of 32460 checklistsNov 1-7: 13% of 23660 checklistsNov 8-14: 12% of 21542 checklistsNov 15-21: 12% of 19922 checklistsNov 22-30: 11% of 25069 checklistsDec 1-7: 11% of 18272 checklistsDec 8-14: 11% of 18961 checklistsDec 15-21: 13% of 24171 checklistsDec 22-31: 12% of 30908 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 Michigan 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 Michigan

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Gratiot CountyBest the second week of April · 153 checklists that week, 5,892 in all34%
  2. Mackinac CountyBest the second week of November · 76 checklists that week, 7,988 in all32%
  3. Clinton CountyBest mid August · 176 checklists that week, 10,597 in all30%
  4. Emmet CountyBest early April · 245 checklists that week, 11,769 in all29%
  5. Huron CountyBest mid April · 59 checklists that week, 4,733 in all28%
  6. Monroe CountyBest mid January · 259 checklists that week, 22,078 in all25%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lelsey DrainWashtenaw County, best late October · 24 checklists that week, 175 in all89%
  2. Lakeport State ParkSt. Clair County, best early April · 20 checklists that week, 380 in all78%

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

Best time of day

In Michigan, the Red-tailed Hawk is most often listed on checklists started between 12 and 2 pm (13% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (712) to judge1 am: too few checklists (592) to judge2 am: too few checklists (532) to judge3 am: too few checklists (516) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1592) to judge5 am: too few checklists (6849) to judge6 am: 6.3% of 39298 checklists7 am: 7.9% of 120344 checklists8 am: 9.2% of 180109 checklists9 am: 11% of 171966 checklists10 am: 12% of 156332 checklists11 am: 13% of 134964 checklists12 pm: 13% of 120967 checklists1 pm: 13% of 113852 checklists2 pm: 13% of 110773 checklists3 pm: 12% of 105530 checklists4 pm: 11% of 100958 checklists5 pm: 8.7% of 80085 checklists6 pm: 7.0% of 62883 checklists7 pm: 5.6% of 44912 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (21062) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5920) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1629) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (775) 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%12%12%13%
February13%12%10%14%
March14%14%13%12%
April12%12%11%11%
May11%9.7%8.0%7.9%
June7.4%7.5%6.6%6.4%
July6.6%7.5%8.3%9.7%
August11%11%11%11%
September11%10%9.6%9.4%
October10%11%11%12%
November13%12%12%11%
December11%11%13%12%

Neighboring states

  • Ohio: year-round, peaks early March
  • Indiana: year-round, peaks late December
  • Illinois: year-round, peaks the second week of November
  • Wisconsin: year-round, peaks early March

Common questions

When do Red-tailed Hawks arrive in Michigan?
The Red-tailed Hawk is in Michigan all year. It turns up on about 14% of checklists at its peak (early March) and on 6.6% in its quietest week (late June).
When do Red-tailed Hawks leave Michigan?
The Red-tailed Hawk does not leave Michigan: it is reported all year, from 6.6% of checklists in late June to 14% in early March.
When is the best time to see a Red-tailed Hawk in Michigan?
The Red-tailed Hawk is reported most often in early March, on about 14% of Michigan checklists.
Where in Michigan are Red-tailed Hawks seen most often?
By county, Gratiot County, Mackinac County, and Clinton County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-tailed Hawk (counties with at least 200 checklists).