WhenToBird

Accipiter striatus · Accipitridae

When Do Sharp-shinned Hawks Arrive in Oklahoma?

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

Sharp-shinned Hawks are winter birds in Oklahoma: they arrive in mid September, peak in early November (2.7% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of April.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 15-21mid September
Common bySep 15-21mid September
PeakNov 1-7early November
Most gone byApr 8-14the second week of April

Best: early November. First arrivals mid September; most are gone by the second week of April. Peak: on about 2.7% of Oklahoma checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 1.8% of 6087 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.7% of 4350 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.1% of 4381 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.9% of 6165 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.9% of 4259 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.7% of 4589 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.5% of 7001 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.1% of 4482 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.6% of 4724 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.5% of 4571 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.3% of 4393 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.3% of 7544 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.2% of 5967 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.2% of 6543 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.8% of 7366 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.8% of 10618 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.3% of 8835 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 8247 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 6081 checklistsMay 22-31: 0% of 7283 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 4256 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 3774 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 3541 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 4159 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 3209 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 2916 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 2861 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 4146 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 3043 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 2839 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 3014 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 4759 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 3861 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.2% of 3748 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.8% of 3569 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.7% of 4830 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.3% of 3809 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.1% of 4142 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.2% of 3705 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.1% of 4738 checklistsNov 1-7: 2.4% of 3823 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.4% of 3849 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.2% of 3722 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.2% of 4795 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.4% of 3324 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.5% of 3574 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.2% of 3884 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.1% of 5774 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 Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Pontotoc CountyBest late January · 11 checklists that week, 308 in all27%
  2. Grant CountyBest late December · 28 checklists that week, 307 in all23%
  3. Pushmataha CountyBest early October · 10 checklists that week, 361 in all16%
  4. Texas CountyBest mid October · 39 checklists that week, 1,542 in all14%
  5. Cotton CountyBest the second week of November · 16 checklists that week, 765 in all11%
  6. Blaine CountyBest mid October · 10 checklists that week, 732 in all9.5%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Sanborn Lake ParkPayne County, best late October · 29 checklists that week, 992 in all14%
  2. Bluff Creek Park(West)Oklahoma County, best the second week of December · 28 checklists that week, 692 in all13%
  3. Red SloughMcCurtain County, best late October · 21 checklists that week, 492 in all10%
  4. Lake Carl EtlingCimarron County, best mid September · 22 checklists that week, 413 in all10%

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

Best time of day

In Oklahoma, the Sharp-shinned Hawk is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (1.5% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%12 am: too few checklists (91) to judge1 am: too few checklists (65) to judge2 am: too few checklists (73) to judge3 am: too few checklists (73) to judge4 am: too few checklists (100) to judge5 am: too few checklists (647) to judge6 am: 0.8% of 8353 checklists7 am: 1.6% of 24509 checklists8 am: 1.5% of 27848 checklists9 am: 1.4% of 25316 checklists10 am: 1.3% of 21161 checklists11 am: 1.1% of 18730 checklists12 pm: 0.9% of 16097 checklists1 pm: 1.1% of 14028 checklists2 pm: 1.1% of 13599 checklists3 pm: 1.3% of 14228 checklists4 pm: 1.1% of 14597 checklists5 pm: 0.8% of 12125 checklists6 pm: 0.5% of 9337 checklists7 pm: 0.2% of 6944 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2403) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (459) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (226) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (141) 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
January1.8%1.7%2.1%1.9%
February1.9%1.7%1.5%2.1%
March1.6%1.5%1.3%1.3%
April1.2%1.2%0.8%0.8%
May0.3%0.1%0.1%0%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0.1%
August0.1%0%0.1%0%
September0.1%0.2%0.8%1.7%
October2.3%2.1%2.2%3.1%
November2.4%2.4%2.2%2.2%
December2.4%2.5%2.2%2.1%

Neighboring states

  • Kansas: arrives mid September, in the same week than Oklahoma
  • Arkansas: arrives mid September, in the same week than Oklahoma
  • Missouri: arrives mid September, in the same week than Oklahoma
  • Nebraska: arrives the second week of September, 1 week earlier than Oklahoma

Common questions

When do Sharp-shinned Hawks arrive in Oklahoma?
Sharp-shinned Hawks are winter birds in Oklahoma: they arrive in mid September, peak in early November (2.7% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of April.
When do Sharp-shinned Hawks leave Oklahoma?
Most Sharp-shinned Hawks have left Oklahoma by the second week of April, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Sharp-shinned Hawk in Oklahoma?
The Sharp-shinned Hawk is reported most often in early November, on about 2.7% of Oklahoma checklists.
Where in Oklahoma are Sharp-shinned Hawks seen most often?
By county, Pontotoc County, Grant County, and Pushmataha County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Sharp-shinned Hawk (counties with at least 200 checklists).