WhenToBird

Buteo jamaicensis · Accipitridae

When Do Red-tailed Hawks Arrive in Minnesota?

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

The Red-tailed Hawk is in Minnesota all year. It turns up on about 11% of checklists at its peak (late March) and on 5.7% in its quietest week (late June).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekMar 22-31late March
Quietest weekJun 22-30late June

Best: late March. Here all year. Peak: on about 11% of Minnesota checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 7.8% of 20628 checklistsJan 8-14: 6.9% of 14594 checklistsJan 15-21: 7.2% of 14238 checklistsJan 22-31: 7.6% of 20725 checklistsFeb 1-7: 6.7% of 14484 checklistsFeb 8-14: 5.6% of 15988 checklistsFeb 15-21: 5.8% of 20718 checklistsFeb 22-28: 7.3% of 15754 checklistsMar 1-7: 9.1% of 16125 checklistsMar 8-14: 10% of 19035 checklistsMar 15-21: 11% of 19586 checklistsMar 22-31: 11% of 30192 checklistsApr 1-7: 11% of 24262 checklistsApr 8-14: 9.3% of 30223 checklistsApr 15-21: 8.1% of 29085 checklistsApr 22-30: 7.7% of 43574 checklistsMay 1-7: 7.3% of 39300 checklistsMay 8-14: 6.1% of 45927 checklistsMay 15-21: 5.8% of 36632 checklistsMay 22-31: 6.3% of 43809 checklistsJun 1-7: 6.3% of 23418 checklistsJun 8-14: 6.0% of 20450 checklistsJun 15-21: 5.6% of 19470 checklistsJun 22-30: 6.0% of 23418 checklistsJul 1-7: 5.5% of 19104 checklistsJul 8-14: 6.2% of 16927 checklistsJul 15-21: 6.1% of 15635 checklistsJul 22-31: 6.8% of 22073 checklistsAug 1-7: 7.4% of 16255 checklistsAug 8-14: 7.5% of 16840 checklistsAug 15-21: 7.7% of 17475 checklistsAug 22-31: 6.9% of 26545 checklistsSep 1-7: 7.6% of 20750 checklistsSep 8-14: 7.5% of 18494 checklistsSep 15-21: 8.3% of 18215 checklistsSep 22-30: 9.3% of 24463 checklistsOct 1-7: 9.6% of 18252 checklistsOct 8-14: 11% of 19527 checklistsOct 15-21: 11% of 17098 checklistsOct 22-31: 9.6% of 24570 checklistsNov 1-7: 9.9% of 16744 checklistsNov 8-14: 9.1% of 13483 checklistsNov 15-21: 8.5% of 12525 checklistsNov 22-30: 8.3% of 17023 checklistsDec 1-7: 7.7% of 11645 checklistsDec 8-14: 7.7% of 11567 checklistsDec 15-21: 8.5% of 13343 checklistsDec 22-31: 7.6% of 19759 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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Wilkin CountyBest late September · 11 checklists that week, 1,101 in all42%
  2. Rock CountyBest mid March · 28 checklists that week, 1,979 in all31%
  3. Kittson CountyBest mid July · 21 checklists that week, 1,272 in all30%
  4. Faribault CountyBest early November · 18 checklists that week, 1,448 in all29%
  5. Yellow Medicine CountyBest the second week of July · 26 checklists that week, 1,931 in all29%
  6. Norman CountyBest late July · 20 checklists that week, 1,003 in all28%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Enger ParkSt. Louis County, best early April · 30 checklists that week, 447 in all79%
  2. Hawk Ridge (Goose Lake)St. Louis County, best mid October · 26 checklists that week, 314 in all74%
  3. Hawk RidgeSt. Louis County, best late October · 225 checklists that week, 2,979 in all73%
  4. Mother LakeHennepin County, best the second week of September · 20 checklists that week, 1,362 in all63%
  5. Kimberly Lane ElementaryHennepin County, best the second week of April · 20 checklists that week, 424 in all58%

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

Best time of day

In Minnesota, the Red-tailed Hawk is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (9.7% of those checklists).

0%5%10%12 am: too few checklists (349) to judge1 am: too few checklists (331) to judge2 am: too few checklists (286) to judge3 am: too few checklists (364) to judge4 am: too few checklists (863) to judge5 am: too few checklists (7598) to judge6 am: 4.9% of 35775 checklists7 am: 5.7% of 90565 checklists8 am: 7.2% of 110612 checklists9 am: 8.6% of 106128 checklists10 am: 9.7% of 96131 checklists11 am: 9.6% of 83750 checklists12 pm: 9.7% of 76254 checklists1 pm: 9.6% of 73480 checklists2 pm: 9.1% of 73703 checklists3 pm: 8.4% of 75249 checklists4 pm: 7.0% of 68810 checklists5 pm: 5.9% of 51899 checklists6 pm: 4.5% of 38524 checklists7 pm: 3.5% of 25120 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (10568) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2420) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (748) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (420) 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
January7.8%6.9%7.2%7.6%
February6.7%5.6%5.8%7.3%
March9.1%10%11%11%
April11%9.3%8.1%7.7%
May7.3%6.1%5.8%6.3%
June6.3%6.0%5.6%6.0%
July5.5%6.2%6.1%6.8%
August7.4%7.5%7.7%6.9%
September7.6%7.5%8.3%9.3%
October9.6%11%11%9.6%
November9.9%9.1%8.5%8.3%
December7.7%7.7%8.5%7.6%

Neighboring states

  • Iowa: all year, most in winter, peaks the second week of November
  • Wisconsin: year-round, peaks early March
  • South Dakota: year-round, peaks late March
  • North Dakota: winter visitor, peaks early October

Common questions

When do Red-tailed Hawks arrive in Minnesota?
The Red-tailed Hawk is in Minnesota all year. It turns up on about 11% of checklists at its peak (late March) and on 5.7% in its quietest week (late June).
When do Red-tailed Hawks leave Minnesota?
The Red-tailed Hawk does not leave Minnesota: it is reported all year, from 5.7% of checklists in late June to 11% in late March.
When is the best time to see a Red-tailed Hawk in Minnesota?
The Red-tailed Hawk is reported most often in late March, on about 11% of Minnesota checklists.
Where in Minnesota are Red-tailed Hawks seen most often?
By county, Wilkin County, Rock County, and Kittson County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-tailed Hawk (counties with at least 200 checklists).