WhenToBird

Buteo lagopus · Accipitridae

When Do Rough-legged Hawks Arrive in North Dakota?

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

Rough-legged Hawks are winter birds in North Dakota: they arrive in mid October, peak in the second week of November (6.5% of checklists), and most are gone by mid April.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 15-21mid October
Common byOct 15-21mid October
PeakNov 8-14the second week of November
Most gone byApr 15-21mid April

Best: the second week of November. First arrivals mid October; most are gone by mid April. Peak: on about 6.5% of North Dakota checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 2.6% of 1694 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.3% of 1210 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.0% of 1263 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.2% of 1984 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.0% of 1209 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.3% of 1307 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.5% of 1655 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.5% of 1619 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.2% of 1653 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.0% of 1818 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.3% of 2103 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.2% of 3714 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.8% of 2955 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.4% of 3550 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.7% of 4104 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.9% of 5712 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.3% of 5328 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 5885 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 5344 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 7512 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 4329 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 4287 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 3798 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 4361 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 2939 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 2407 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 2254 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 2852 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 2119 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 2044 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 2124 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 3168 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 2449 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 2310 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 2092 checklistsSep 22-30: 0% of 2565 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 2071 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.5% of 1918 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.3% of 1907 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.6% of 2589 checklistsNov 1-7: 6.6% of 1858 checklistsNov 8-14: 7.2% of 1753 checklistsNov 15-21: 5.7% of 1483 checklistsNov 22-30: 4.5% of 1928 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.0% of 1337 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.9% of 1309 checklistsDec 15-21: 4.3% of 1642 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.2% of 1830 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 North Dakota 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 North Dakota

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Bowman CountyBest mid November · 10 checklists that week, 1,636 in all44%
  2. Sioux CountyBest mid November · 13 checklists that week, 340 in all43%
  3. McHenry CountyBest early November · 10 checklists that week, 1,118 in all29%
  4. Kidder CountyBest the second week of November · 10 checklists that week, 3,135 in all28%
  5. Sheridan CountyBest early November · 10 checklists that week, 620 in all23%
  6. Billings CountyBest mid December · 38 checklists that week, 4,769 in all23%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Sakakawea Recreation Area (Williston)Williams County, best late December · 25 checklists that week, 383 in all24%
  2. Sakakawea Recreation AreaMercer County, best the second week of November · 21 checklists that week, 617 in all13%
  3. Kellys Slough National Wildlife RefugeGrand Forks County, best late April · 29 checklists that week, 305 in all8.5%

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

Best time of day

In North Dakota, the Rough-legged Hawk is most often listed on checklists started between 1 and 3 pm (2.0% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%12 am: too few checklists (74) to judge1 am: too few checklists (45) to judge2 am: too few checklists (42) to judge3 am: too few checklists (68) to judge4 am: too few checklists (274) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1538) to judge6 am: 0.3% of 4242 checklists7 am: 0.4% of 9520 checklists8 am: 0.9% of 13065 checklists9 am: 1.4% of 13356 checklists10 am: 1.3% of 12128 checklists11 am: 1.9% of 10772 checklists12 pm: 1.6% of 10316 checklists1 pm: 2.0% of 9169 checklists2 pm: 1.9% of 8880 checklists3 pm: 1.7% of 8688 checklists4 pm: 1.2% of 8201 checklists5 pm: 0.7% of 6687 checklists6 pm: 0.5% of 5455 checklists7 pm: 0.5% of 3926 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2024) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (602) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (181) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (89) 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
January2.6%2.3%2.0%2.2%
February2.0%2.3%1.5%2.5%
March2.2%2.0%3.3%3.2%
April1.8%2.4%1.7%0.9%
May0.3%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0.1%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0%0%
October0.1%0.5%1.3%3.6%
November6.6%7.2%5.7%4.5%
December4.0%3.9%4.3%3.2%

Neighboring states

  • South Dakota: arrives late October, 1 week later than North Dakota
  • Minnesota: arrives mid October, in the same week than North Dakota
  • Nebraska: arrives mid November, 4 weeks later than North Dakota
  • Iowa: arrives the second week of November, 3 weeks later than North Dakota

Common questions

When do Rough-legged Hawks arrive in North Dakota?
Rough-legged Hawks are winter birds in North Dakota: they arrive in mid October, peak in the second week of November (6.5% of checklists), and most are gone by mid April.
When do Rough-legged Hawks leave North Dakota?
Most Rough-legged Hawks have left North Dakota by mid April, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Rough-legged Hawk in North Dakota?
The Rough-legged Hawk is reported most often in the second week of November, on about 6.5% of North Dakota checklists.
Where in North Dakota are Rough-legged Hawks seen most often?
By county, Bowman County, Sioux County, and McHenry County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Rough-legged Hawk (counties with at least 200 checklists).