WhenToBird

Buteo jamaicensis · Accipitridae

When Do Red-tailed Hawks Arrive in Washington?

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

The Red-tailed Hawk is in Washington all year. It turns up on about 18% of checklists at its peak (the second week of March) and on 8.0% in its quietest week (mid August).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekMar 8-14the second week of March
Quietest weekAug 15-21mid August

Best: the second week of March. Here all year. Peak: on about 18% of Washington 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: 15% of 41928 checklistsJan 8-14: 16% of 31152 checklistsJan 15-21: 17% of 31753 checklistsJan 22-31: 17% of 42530 checklistsFeb 1-7: 17% of 29739 checklistsFeb 8-14: 16% of 32746 checklistsFeb 15-21: 15% of 40328 checklistsFeb 22-28: 18% of 28432 checklistsMar 1-7: 18% of 30758 checklistsMar 8-14: 18% of 29368 checklistsMar 15-21: 18% of 32580 checklistsMar 22-31: 17% of 45614 checklistsApr 1-7: 16% of 33997 checklistsApr 8-14: 15% of 34729 checklistsApr 15-21: 14% of 38474 checklistsApr 22-30: 14% of 52185 checklistsMay 1-7: 14% of 44236 checklistsMay 8-14: 14% of 48708 checklistsMay 15-21: 14% of 41742 checklistsMay 22-31: 13% of 57082 checklistsJun 1-7: 12% of 39193 checklistsJun 8-14: 11% of 36042 checklistsJun 15-21: 11% of 34003 checklistsJun 22-30: 9.8% of 39711 checklistsJul 1-7: 9.2% of 31949 checklistsJul 8-14: 9.3% of 29086 checklistsJul 15-21: 9.3% of 28045 checklistsJul 22-31: 8.6% of 38275 checklistsAug 1-7: 8.5% of 28846 checklistsAug 8-14: 7.8% of 28036 checklistsAug 15-21: 7.6% of 27614 checklistsAug 22-31: 8.3% of 40356 checklistsSep 1-7: 8.8% of 31214 checklistsSep 8-14: 9.6% of 27795 checklistsSep 15-21: 11% of 29677 checklistsSep 22-30: 12% of 35241 checklistsOct 1-7: 13% of 28605 checklistsOct 8-14: 13% of 28655 checklistsOct 15-21: 14% of 24643 checklistsOct 22-31: 15% of 34874 checklistsNov 1-7: 15% of 25658 checklistsNov 8-14: 16% of 25700 checklistsNov 15-21: 16% of 24331 checklistsNov 22-30: 16% of 32784 checklistsDec 1-7: 16% of 24099 checklistsDec 8-14: 16% of 23339 checklistsDec 15-21: 16% of 27666 checklistsDec 22-31: 16% of 42130 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 Washington 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 Washington

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Adams CountyBest mid February · 40 checklists that week, 4,574 in all58%
  2. Columbia CountyBest the second week of January · 20 checklists that week, 1,894 in all55%
  3. Garfield CountyBest late January · 14 checklists that week, 1,130 in all54%
  4. Lincoln CountyBest the second week of December · 58 checklists that week, 6,135 in all53%
  5. Walla Walla CountyBest the second week of March · 762 checklists that week, 35,829 in all52%
  6. Cowlitz CountyBest the second week of February · 508 checklists that week, 15,273 in all48%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Cowiche Canyon ConservancyYakima County, best mid April · 21 checklists that week, 117 in all97%
  2. Whitman Mission National Historic SiteWalla Walla County, best the second week of March · 38 checklists that week, 1,992 in all93%
  3. Mount Saint Helens-Shillapoo Wildlife Area ComplexClark County, best late March · 21 checklists that week, 467 in all91%

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

Best time of day

In Washington, the Red-tailed Hawk is most often listed on checklists started between 11 am and 1 pm (16% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%12 am: too few checklists (796) to judge1 am: too few checklists (776) to judge2 am: too few checklists (709) to judge3 am: too few checklists (901) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3221) to judge5 am: too few checklists (16576) to judge6 am: 11% of 56744 checklists7 am: 12% of 133294 checklists8 am: 14% of 184196 checklists9 am: 14% of 186303 checklists10 am: 15% of 177063 checklists11 am: 16% of 154936 checklists12 pm: 16% of 138061 checklists1 pm: 16% of 127449 checklists2 pm: 15% of 121511 checklists3 pm: 14% of 107793 checklists4 pm: 12% of 82862 checklists5 pm: 9.4% of 57183 checklists6 pm: 7.7% of 39886 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (26969) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (12427) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (3658) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1500) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (834) 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
January15%16%17%17%
February17%16%15%18%
March18%18%18%17%
April16%15%14%14%
May14%14%14%13%
June12%11%11%9.8%
July9.2%9.3%9.3%8.6%
August8.5%7.8%7.6%8.3%
September8.8%9.6%11%12%
October13%13%14%15%
November15%16%16%16%
December16%16%16%16%

Neighboring states

  • Oregon: year-round, peaks the second week of March
  • Idaho: year-round, peaks mid March
  • Montana: year-round, peaks the second week of April
  • Nevada: year-round, peaks the second week of December

Common questions

When do Red-tailed Hawks arrive in Washington?
The Red-tailed Hawk is in Washington all year. It turns up on about 18% of checklists at its peak (the second week of March) and on 8.0% in its quietest week (mid August).
When do Red-tailed Hawks leave Washington?
The Red-tailed Hawk does not leave Washington: it is reported all year, from 8.0% of checklists in mid August to 18% in the second week of March.
When is the best time to see a Red-tailed Hawk in Washington?
The Red-tailed Hawk is reported most often in the second week of March, on about 18% of Washington checklists.
Where in Washington are Red-tailed Hawks seen most often?
By county, Adams County, Columbia County, and Garfield County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-tailed Hawk (counties with at least 200 checklists).