WhenToBird

Accipiter striatus · Accipitridae

When Do Sharp-shinned Hawks Arrive in Iowa?

Adult Sharp-shinned Hawk
Photo: Kent P. McFarland, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Sharp-shinned Hawks are winter birds in Iowa: they arrive in the second week of September, peak in early October (5.2% of checklists), and most are gone by early May.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 8-14the second week of September
Common bySep 8-14the second week of September
PeakOct 1-7early October
Most gone byMay 1-7early May

Best: early October. First arrivals the second week of September; most are gone by early May. Peak: on about 5.2% of Iowa checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 1.5% of 5551 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.1% of 3498 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.1% of 3803 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.1% of 4807 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.2% of 3613 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.3% of 4173 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.5% of 5796 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.0% of 4394 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.6% of 5295 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.1% of 5679 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.8% of 5418 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.1% of 8613 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.2% of 6970 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.1% of 7511 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.4% of 8321 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.3% of 11976 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.2% of 11725 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.5% of 12626 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 9372 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 10330 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 5472 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 4568 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 3870 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 4780 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 4201 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 3605 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 3621 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 5093 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 3931 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 3488 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 3802 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 6293 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.5% of 5328 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.8% of 4622 checklistsSep 15-21: 4.6% of 4367 checklistsSep 22-30: 5.8% of 6086 checklistsOct 1-7: 4.5% of 4708 checklistsOct 8-14: 5.2% of 4791 checklistsOct 15-21: 4.5% of 4429 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.4% of 5633 checklistsNov 1-7: 2.6% of 4090 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.5% of 3416 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.1% of 3398 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.1% of 4679 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.6% of 3442 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.1% of 3322 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.9% of 4619 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.3% of 5113 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 Iowa 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 Iowa

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Monona CountyBest mid October · 28 checklists that week, 655 in all33%
  2. Marshall CountyBest late September · 93 checklists that week, 3,476 in all28%
  3. Hancock CountyBest the second week of October · 27 checklists that week, 449 in all27%
  4. Pocahontas CountyBest the second week of October · 10 checklists that week, 735 in all21%
  5. Des Moines CountyBest late September · 43 checklists that week, 2,251 in all19%
  6. Cherokee CountyBest early October · 13 checklists that week, 360 in all17%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Grammer Grove Wildlife AreaMarshall County, best early October · 29 checklists that week, 766 in all57%
  2. Hitchcock Nature AreaPottawattamie County, best late September · 35 checklists that week, 472 in all35%
  3. Carr ParkStory County, best late September · 36 checklists that week, 1,200 in all20%
  4. Martin LakeBlack Hawk County, best late September · 27 checklists that week, 523 in all19%
  5. Saylorville Recreation Area (southeast)Polk County, best early October · 20 checklists that week, 867 in all16%
  6. Riverview Recreation AreaBlack Hawk County, best late September · 21 checklists that week, 339 in all16%

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

Best time of day

In Iowa, the Sharp-shinned Hawk is most often listed on checklists started between 8 and 10 am (1.7% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%12 am: too few checklists (96) to judge1 am: too few checklists (99) to judge2 am: too few checklists (67) to judge3 am: too few checklists (82) to judge4 am: too few checklists (201) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1888) to judge6 am: 0.7% of 11313 checklists7 am: 1.5% of 25717 checklists8 am: 1.7% of 29755 checklists9 am: 1.7% of 28897 checklists10 am: 1.5% of 26343 checklists11 am: 1.3% of 21210 checklists12 pm: 1.2% of 17662 checklists1 pm: 1.0% of 16595 checklists2 pm: 1.2% of 16405 checklists3 pm: 1.2% of 17030 checklists4 pm: 1.1% of 17378 checklists5 pm: 1.1% of 14251 checklists6 pm: 0.5% of 10349 checklists7 pm: 0.1% of 6233 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2002) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (392) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (186) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (87) 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
January1.5%1.1%1.1%1.1%
February1.2%1.3%1.5%1.0%
March0.6%1.1%0.8%1.1%
April1.2%1.1%1.4%1.3%
May1.2%0.5%0.1%0.1%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.5%1.8%4.6%5.8%
October4.5%5.2%4.5%3.4%
November2.6%1.5%1.1%1.1%
December1.6%1.1%1.9%1.3%

Neighboring states

  • Missouri: arrives mid September, 1 week later than Iowa
  • Wisconsin: arrives early September, 1 week earlier than Iowa
  • Minnesota: arrives mid August, 3 weeks earlier than Iowa
  • Illinois: arrives the second week of September, in the same week than Iowa

Common questions

When do Sharp-shinned Hawks arrive in Iowa?
Sharp-shinned Hawks are winter birds in Iowa: they arrive in the second week of September, peak in early October (5.2% of checklists), and most are gone by early May.
When do Sharp-shinned Hawks leave Iowa?
Most Sharp-shinned Hawks have left Iowa by early May, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Sharp-shinned Hawk in Iowa?
The Sharp-shinned Hawk is reported most often in early October, on about 5.2% of Iowa checklists.
Where in Iowa are Sharp-shinned Hawks seen most often?
By county, Monona County, Marshall County, and Hancock County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Sharp-shinned Hawk (counties with at least 200 checklists).