WhenToBird

Buteo jamaicensis · Accipitridae

When Do Red-tailed Hawks Arrive in New York?

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

The Red-tailed Hawk is in New York all year. It turns up on about 18% of checklists at its peak (the second week of March) and on 7.5% in its quietest week (early July).

When to look

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

Best: the second week of March. Here all year. Peak: on about 18% of New York checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  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%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 16% of 66410 checklistsJan 8-14: 16% of 49310 checklistsJan 15-21: 15% of 49919 checklistsJan 22-31: 16% of 62513 checklistsFeb 1-7: 16% of 43526 checklistsFeb 8-14: 15% of 49753 checklistsFeb 15-21: 14% of 65147 checklistsFeb 22-28: 16% of 50173 checklistsMar 1-7: 18% of 50325 checklistsMar 8-14: 19% of 55371 checklistsMar 15-21: 18% of 56293 checklistsMar 22-31: 18% of 82677 checklistsApr 1-7: 17% of 65295 checklistsApr 8-14: 16% of 73080 checklistsApr 15-21: 16% of 73857 checklistsApr 22-30: 15% of 106093 checklistsMay 1-7: 14% of 102772 checklistsMay 8-14: 14% of 110051 checklistsMay 15-21: 12% of 94797 checklistsMay 22-31: 10% of 101272 checklistsJun 1-7: 9.0% of 59471 checklistsJun 8-14: 8.7% of 55497 checklistsJun 15-21: 8.1% of 51761 checklistsJun 22-30: 7.6% of 59219 checklistsJul 1-7: 7.2% of 48226 checklistsJul 8-14: 7.5% of 42315 checklistsJul 15-21: 8.2% of 40637 checklistsJul 22-31: 9.3% of 57183 checklistsAug 1-7: 9.9% of 40461 checklistsAug 8-14: 11% of 39880 checklistsAug 15-21: 11% of 41146 checklistsAug 22-31: 12% of 63381 checklistsSep 1-7: 12% of 48640 checklistsSep 8-14: 12% of 47882 checklistsSep 15-21: 14% of 49063 checklistsSep 22-30: 13% of 57906 checklistsOct 1-7: 14% of 48447 checklistsOct 8-14: 15% of 51901 checklistsOct 15-21: 17% of 46717 checklistsOct 22-31: 17% of 61992 checklistsNov 1-7: 19% of 44593 checklistsNov 8-14: 18% of 42566 checklistsNov 15-21: 18% of 39675 checklistsNov 22-30: 17% of 51197 checklistsDec 1-7: 17% of 36567 checklistsDec 8-14: 17% of 37254 checklistsDec 15-21: 18% of 43754 checklistsDec 22-31: 16% of 62470 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 New York 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 New York

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. New York CountyBest the second week of December · 2550 checklists that week, 187,471 in all36%
  2. Bronx CountyBest the second week of December · 354 checklists that week, 24,489 in all33%
  3. Columbia CountyBest early February · 416 checklists that week, 28,454 in all32%
  4. Washington CountyBest late January · 472 checklists that week, 15,060 in all32%
  5. Kings CountyBest mid November · 2399 checklists that week, 134,897 in all32%
  6. Westchester CountyBest the second week of November · 1694 checklists that week, 108,101 in all28%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Tompkins Square ParkNew York County, best late June · 41 checklists that week, 1,659 in all97%
  2. Rockland Lake State Park (Hook Mountain)Rockland County, best late October · 21 checklists that week, 246 in all89%
  3. Duck PondUlster County, best late February · 20 checklists that week, 216 in all88%

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

Best time of day

In New York, the Red-tailed Hawk is most often listed on checklists started between 11 am and 1 pm (17% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%12 am: too few checklists (1146) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1055) to judge2 am: too few checklists (1121) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1353) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4785) to judge5 am: too few checklists (32052) to judge6 am: 9.2% of 124869 checklists7 am: 12% of 298506 checklists8 am: 13% of 337334 checklists9 am: 15% of 307787 checklists10 am: 17% of 270801 checklists11 am: 17% of 233238 checklists12 pm: 17% of 213830 checklists1 pm: 17% of 193321 checklists2 pm: 17% of 180741 checklists3 pm: 15% of 170348 checklists4 pm: 12% of 147224 checklists5 pm: 11% of 111962 checklists6 pm: 7.8% of 78261 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (44425) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (15648) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4795) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2454) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1378) 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
January16%16%15%16%
February16%15%14%16%
March18%19%18%18%
April17%16%16%15%
May14%14%12%10%
June9.0%8.7%8.1%7.6%
July7.2%7.5%8.2%9.3%
August9.9%11%11%12%
September12%12%14%13%
October14%15%17%17%
November19%18%18%17%
December17%17%18%16%

Neighboring states

  • Connecticut: year-round, peaks the second week of November
  • New Jersey: year-round, peaks the second week of November
  • Pennsylvania: year-round, peaks the second week of November
  • Vermont: all year, most in winter, peaks mid January

Common questions

When do Red-tailed Hawks arrive in New York?
The Red-tailed Hawk is in New York all year. It turns up on about 18% of checklists at its peak (the second week of March) and on 7.5% in its quietest week (early July).
When do Red-tailed Hawks leave New York?
The Red-tailed Hawk does not leave New York: it is reported all year, from 7.5% of checklists in early July to 18% in the second week of March.
When is the best time to see a Red-tailed Hawk in New York?
The Red-tailed Hawk is reported most often in the second week of March, on about 18% of New York checklists.
Where in New York are Red-tailed Hawks seen most often?
By county, New York County, Bronx County, and Columbia County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-tailed Hawk (counties with at least 200 checklists).