WhenToBird

Accipiter striatus · Accipitridae

When Do Sharp-shinned Hawks Arrive in Utah?

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

Sharp-shinned Hawks are winter birds in Utah: the first arrive in the second week of August, they are common by late August, peak in late December (4.2% of checklists), and most are gone by early May.

When to look

First arrivalsAug 8-14the second week of August
Common byAug 22-31late August
PeakDec 22-31late December
Most gone byMay 1-7early May

Best: late December. First arrivals the second week of August; most are gone by early May. Peak: on about 4.2% of Utah checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 4.4% of 10857 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.8% of 8333 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.4% of 8360 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.0% of 10516 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.5% of 7416 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.9% of 8082 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.9% of 9643 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.2% of 7960 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.1% of 7998 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.0% of 8581 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.2% of 8637 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.5% of 13006 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.5% of 10562 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.2% of 11694 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.7% of 11382 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.8% of 16626 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.5% of 13523 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.3% of 14714 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.9% of 13711 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.8% of 16546 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.7% of 10284 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.5% of 9530 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.5% of 8854 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.5% of 10566 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.5% of 7987 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.6% of 7471 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.7% of 7240 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.6% of 9329 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.8% of 6521 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.9% of 6423 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.6% of 6208 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.6% of 9089 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.0% of 7081 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.6% of 7306 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.6% of 7208 checklistsSep 22-30: 3.4% of 8876 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.7% of 7265 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.8% of 7226 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.7% of 7007 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.9% of 8443 checklistsNov 1-7: 2.9% of 6711 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.3% of 6290 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.8% of 6169 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.4% of 8228 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.6% of 6011 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.7% of 6044 checklistsDec 15-21: 4.3% of 6721 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.9% of 9982 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 Utah 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 Utah

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Morgan CountyBest the second week of January · 17 checklists that week, 3,178 in all16%
  2. Emery CountyBest mid January · 21 checklists that week, 2,339 in all12%
  3. Sevier CountyBest the second week of January · 34 checklists that week, 5,167 in all9.4%
  4. Beaver CountyBest late August · 141 checklists that week, 6,956 in all6.7%
  5. Salt Lake CountyBest late December · 2706 checklists that week, 104,432 in all6.7%
  6. Duchesne CountyBest the second week of December · 13 checklists that week, 2,692 in all6.5%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. State of Utah Department of Natural Resources 3Salt Lake County, best the second week of December · 21 checklists that week, 1,183 in all33%
  2. Big Cottonwood ParkSalt Lake County, best the second week of January · 57 checklists that week, 3,275 in all24%
  3. Moab WetlandsGrand County, best late October · 35 checklists that week, 1,398 in all18%
  4. Dry CreekUtah County, best late October · 32 checklists that week, 2,498 in all16%

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

Best time of day

In Utah, the Sharp-shinned Hawk is most often listed on checklists started between 8 and 10 am (2.5% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%12 am: too few checklists (242) to judge1 am: too few checklists (178) to judge2 am: too few checklists (169) to judge3 am: too few checklists (162) to judge4 am: too few checklists (284) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1984) to judge6 am: 1.2% of 11714 checklists7 am: 2.1% of 33209 checklists8 am: 2.5% of 46944 checklists9 am: 2.4% of 46290 checklists10 am: 2.1% of 43144 checklists11 am: 2.1% of 36893 checklists12 pm: 2.0% of 32758 checklists1 pm: 2.0% of 30142 checklists2 pm: 2.2% of 29414 checklists3 pm: 2.3% of 29491 checklists4 pm: 2.3% of 29154 checklists5 pm: 1.7% of 22256 checklists6 pm: 1.3% of 17383 checklists7 pm: 0.7% of 13099 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (6647) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1753) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (599) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (307) 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
January4.4%3.8%3.4%3.0%
February2.5%2.9%2.9%2.2%
March2.1%2.0%2.2%1.5%
April1.5%1.2%1.7%1.8%
May1.5%1.3%0.9%0.8%
June0.7%0.5%0.5%0.5%
July0.5%0.6%0.7%0.6%
August0.8%0.9%1.6%1.6%
September2.0%2.6%2.6%3.4%
October2.7%2.8%2.7%2.9%
November2.9%3.3%2.8%3.4%
December3.6%3.7%4.3%3.9%

Neighboring states

  • Wyoming: arrives mid August, 1 week later than Utah
  • Nevada: arrives late August, 2 weeks later than Utah
  • Colorado: arrives late August, 2 weeks later than Utah
  • Idaho: arrives mid August, 1 week later than Utah

Common questions

When do Sharp-shinned Hawks arrive in Utah?
Sharp-shinned Hawks are winter birds in Utah: the first arrive in the second week of August, they are common by late August, peak in late December (4.2% of checklists), and most are gone by early May.
When do Sharp-shinned Hawks leave Utah?
Most Sharp-shinned Hawks have left Utah by early May, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of May.
When is the best time to see a Sharp-shinned Hawk in Utah?
The Sharp-shinned Hawk is reported most often in late December, on about 4.2% of Utah checklists.
Where in Utah are Sharp-shinned Hawks seen most often?
By county, Morgan County, Emery County, and Sevier County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Sharp-shinned Hawk (counties with at least 200 checklists).