WhenToBird

Buteo lagopus · Accipitridae

When Do Rough-legged Hawks Arrive in Kansas?

Adult Rough-legged Hawk
Photo: Rev. Lee A. Payne, Jr., CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Rough-legged Hawks are winter birds in Kansas: they arrive in the second week of November, peak in mid January (2.0% of checklists), and most are gone by mid March.

When to look

First arrivalsNov 8-14the second week of November
Common byNov 8-14the second week of November
PeakJan 15-21mid January
Most gone byMar 15-21mid March

Best: mid January. First arrivals the second week of November; most are gone by mid March. Peak: on about 2.0% of Kansas checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marcommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%1%2%3%Jan 1-7: 1.4% of 8683 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.8% of 5710 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.1% of 5453 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.0% of 7868 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.5% of 5579 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.1% of 6307 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.8% of 7830 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.0% of 6124 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.9% of 6442 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.2% of 6925 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.7% of 7257 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.7% of 11527 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.5% of 8908 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.3% of 11070 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 11050 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 16381 checklistsMay 1-7: 0% of 15899 checklistsMay 8-14: 0% of 15349 checklistsMay 15-21: 0% of 10474 checklistsMay 22-31: 0% of 11264 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 6783 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 5654 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 4716 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 6232 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 5073 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 4528 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 4210 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 5986 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 4661 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 4762 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 4823 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 7214 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 5989 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 5549 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 5255 checklistsSep 22-30: 0% of 7370 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 5829 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 6183 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 5504 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.4% of 7289 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.5% of 5535 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.0% of 5462 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.3% of 4929 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.3% of 6627 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.5% of 4670 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.6% of 4805 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.1% of 6341 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.6% of 8186 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 Kansas 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 Kansas

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Kearny CountyBest late November · 10 checklists that week, 452 in all33%
  2. Wichita CountyBest late January · 12 checklists that week, 256 in all30%
  3. Lane CountyBest late January · 10 checklists that week, 245 in all22%
  4. Kiowa CountyBest early January · 16 checklists that week, 1,540 in all21%
  5. Greeley CountyBest late December · 10 checklists that week, 329 in all20%
  6. Hodgeman CountyBest the second week of March · 13 checklists that week, 670 in all19%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lyon State Fishing LakeLyon County, best early January · 20 checklists that week, 338 in all20%
  2. Shawnee State Fishing LakeShawnee County, best early January · 21 checklists that week, 882 in all18%
  3. Melvern Recreation AreaOsage County, best early February · 22 checklists that week, 493 in all11%
  4. Melvern LakeOsage County, best mid March · 21 checklists that week, 327 in all10%

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

Best time of day

In Kansas, the Rough-legged Hawk is most often listed on checklists started between 11 am and 1 pm (0.8% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%12 am: too few checklists (150) to judge1 am: too few checklists (119) to judge2 am: too few checklists (97) to judge3 am: too few checklists (94) to judge4 am: too few checklists (124) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1459) to judge6 am: 0.2% of 12550 checklists7 am: 0.3% of 34128 checklists8 am: 0.4% of 45960 checklists9 am: 0.5% of 37806 checklists10 am: 0.7% of 32102 checklists11 am: 0.8% of 25896 checklists12 pm: 0.8% of 24203 checklists1 pm: 0.7% of 20269 checklists2 pm: 0.7% of 20772 checklists3 pm: 0.7% of 20978 checklists4 pm: 0.6% of 22094 checklists5 pm: 0.2% of 17739 checklists6 pm: 0.1% of 13963 checklists7 pm: 0.1% of 10110 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (4188) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (968) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (325) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (171) 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
January1.4%1.8%2.1%2.0%
February1.5%1.1%0.8%1.0%
March0.9%1.2%0.7%0.7%
April0.5%0.3%0.1%0.1%
May0%0%0%0%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0%0%
October0.1%0.1%0.1%0.4%
November0.5%1.0%1.3%1.3%
December1.5%1.6%1.1%1.6%

Neighboring states

  • Nebraska: arrives mid November, 1 week later than Kansas
  • Iowa: arrives the second week of November, in the same week than Kansas
  • South Dakota: arrives late October, 2 weeks earlier than Kansas
  • Illinois: arrives early November, 1 week earlier than Kansas

Common questions

When do Rough-legged Hawks arrive in Kansas?
Rough-legged Hawks are winter birds in Kansas: they arrive in the second week of November, peak in mid January (2.0% of checklists), and most are gone by mid March.
When do Rough-legged Hawks leave Kansas?
Most Rough-legged Hawks have left Kansas by mid March, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Rough-legged Hawk in Kansas?
The Rough-legged Hawk is reported most often in mid January, on about 2.0% of Kansas checklists.
Where in Kansas are Rough-legged Hawks seen most often?
By county, Kearny County, Wichita County, and Lane County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Rough-legged Hawk (counties with at least 200 checklists).