WhenToBird

Buteo jamaicensis · Accipitridae

When Do Red-tailed Hawks Arrive in Wyoming?

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

The Red-tailed Hawk is in Wyoming all year. It turns up on about 16% of checklists at its peak (early April) and on 7.6% in its quietest week (early February).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekApr 1-7early April
Quietest weekFeb 1-7early February

Best: early April. Here all year. Peak: on about 16% of Wyoming checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 9.1% of 2543 checklistsJan 8-14: 9.2% of 2114 checklistsJan 15-21: 8.0% of 1984 checklistsJan 22-31: 7.6% of 2605 checklistsFeb 1-7: 8.4% of 1940 checklistsFeb 8-14: 6.7% of 1954 checklistsFeb 15-21: 8.3% of 2575 checklistsFeb 22-28: 7.5% of 1932 checklistsMar 1-7: 8.9% of 2486 checklistsMar 8-14: 10% of 2535 checklistsMar 15-21: 13% of 2726 checklistsMar 22-31: 15% of 4349 checklistsApr 1-7: 17% of 3300 checklistsApr 8-14: 14% of 3500 checklistsApr 15-21: 15% of 3701 checklistsApr 22-30: 14% of 5887 checklistsMay 1-7: 14% of 5341 checklistsMay 8-14: 13% of 6910 checklistsMay 15-21: 13% of 6884 checklistsMay 22-31: 12% of 10652 checklistsJun 1-7: 12% of 6807 checklistsJun 8-14: 11% of 6714 checklistsJun 15-21: 11% of 6708 checklistsJun 22-30: 11% of 8160 checklistsJul 1-7: 9.7% of 5755 checklistsJul 8-14: 9.5% of 5379 checklistsJul 15-21: 11% of 5299 checklistsJul 22-31: 10% of 6830 checklistsAug 1-7: 11% of 4581 checklistsAug 8-14: 11% of 4625 checklistsAug 15-21: 12% of 4466 checklistsAug 22-31: 14% of 6562 checklistsSep 1-7: 15% of 4543 checklistsSep 8-14: 13% of 4652 checklistsSep 15-21: 14% of 4186 checklistsSep 22-30: 13% of 5301 checklistsOct 1-7: 12% of 3248 checklistsOct 8-14: 11% of 3010 checklistsOct 15-21: 12% of 2624 checklistsOct 22-31: 10% of 3170 checklistsNov 1-7: 8.7% of 2110 checklistsNov 8-14: 8.2% of 2153 checklistsNov 15-21: 8.4% of 1971 checklistsNov 22-30: 8.8% of 2136 checklistsDec 1-7: 7.0% of 1646 checklistsDec 8-14: 7.2% of 1609 checklistsDec 15-21: 9.1% of 1954 checklistsDec 22-31: 8.4% of 2392 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 Wyoming 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 Wyoming

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Niobrara CountyBest the second week of September · 12 checklists that week, 423 in all35%
  2. Goshen CountyBest early October · 16 checklists that week, 1,920 in all34%
  3. Big Horn CountyBest early January · 35 checklists that week, 2,023 in all34%
  4. Laramie CountyBest mid September · 269 checklists that week, 15,593 in all27%
  5. Sweetwater CountyBest late March · 113 checklists that week, 5,064 in all27%
  6. Platte CountyBest late March · 40 checklists that week, 1,645 in all24%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. South Park Wildlife Habitat Management AreaTeton County, best early September · 26 checklists that week, 756 in all68%
  2. Sleeping Indian PondTeton County, best late May · 28 checklists that week, 180 in all50%
  3. Round Top LakeLaramie County, best mid May · 23 checklists that week, 196 in all48%
  4. Usbr (southeast)Lincoln County, best late May · 21 checklists that week, 115 in all48%
  5. Hutton Lake National Wildlife RefugeAlbany County, best mid September · 21 checklists that week, 936 in all45%

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

Best time of day

In Wyoming, the Red-tailed Hawk is most often listed on checklists started between 9 and 11 am (14% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (59) to judge1 am: too few checklists (76) to judge2 am: too few checklists (86) to judge3 am: too few checklists (79) to judge4 am: too few checklists (326) to judge5 am: too few checklists (2271) to judge6 am: 7.7% of 8808 checklists7 am: 9.8% of 18458 checklists8 am: 12% of 22143 checklists9 am: 14% of 21499 checklists10 am: 14% of 19425 checklists11 am: 14% of 16017 checklists12 pm: 12% of 13868 checklists1 pm: 12% of 12984 checklists2 pm: 12% of 12605 checklists3 pm: 11% of 11821 checklists4 pm: 11% of 10571 checklists5 pm: 10% of 8746 checklists6 pm: 8.5% of 6707 checklists7 pm: 7.1% of 4890 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2323) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (554) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (134) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (59) 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
January9.1%9.2%8.0%7.6%
February8.4%6.7%8.3%7.5%
March8.9%10%13%15%
April17%14%15%14%
May14%13%13%12%
June12%11%11%11%
July9.7%9.5%11%10%
August11%11%12%14%
September15%13%14%13%
October12%11%12%10%
November8.7%8.2%8.4%8.8%
December7.0%7.2%9.1%8.4%

Neighboring states

  • Colorado: year-round, peaks mid March
  • Utah: year-round, peaks early January
  • Montana: year-round, peaks the second week of April
  • Idaho: year-round, peaks mid March

Common questions

When do Red-tailed Hawks arrive in Wyoming?
The Red-tailed Hawk is in Wyoming all year. It turns up on about 16% of checklists at its peak (early April) and on 7.6% in its quietest week (early February).
When do Red-tailed Hawks leave Wyoming?
The Red-tailed Hawk does not leave Wyoming: it is reported all year, from 7.6% of checklists in early February to 16% in early April.
When is the best time to see a Red-tailed Hawk in Wyoming?
The Red-tailed Hawk is reported most often in early April, on about 16% of Wyoming checklists.
Where in Wyoming are Red-tailed Hawks seen most often?
By county, Niobrara County, Goshen County, and Big Horn County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-tailed Hawk (counties with at least 200 checklists).