WhenToBird

Cathartes aura · Cathartidae

Turkey Vulture: When and Where to See It

Adult Turkey Vulture
Photo: Andrew Murray, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Turkey Vulture reaches Illinois first, around late January, and Wyoming last, around late March.

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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0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 13% of 1114036 checklistsJan 8-14: 14% of 824708 checklistsJan 15-21: 14% of 825978 checklistsJan 22-31: 14% of 1105853 checklistsFeb 1-7: 15% of 779772 checklistsFeb 8-14: 14% of 864504 checklistsFeb 15-21: 14% of 1127933 checklistsFeb 22-28: 17% of 840124 checklistsMar 1-7: 19% of 839610 checklistsMar 8-14: 20% of 870138 checklistsMar 15-21: 22% of 898456 checklistsMar 22-31: 24% of 1335637 checklistsApr 1-7: 26% of 1030617 checklistsApr 8-14: 26% of 1124024 checklistsApr 15-21: 25% of 1194575 checklistsApr 22-30: 25% of 1675723 checklistsMay 1-7: 23% of 1449080 checklistsMay 8-14: 22% of 1538353 checklistsMay 15-21: 21% of 1219898 checklistsMay 22-31: 21% of 1452282 checklistsJun 1-7: 19% of 900636 checklistsJun 8-14: 19% of 829907 checklistsJun 15-21: 18% of 773255 checklistsJun 22-30: 18% of 916255 checklistsJul 1-7: 17% of 717733 checklistsJul 8-14: 17% of 658223 checklistsJul 15-21: 17% of 638752 checklistsJul 22-31: 17% of 895727 checklistsAug 1-7: 17% of 655651 checklistsAug 8-14: 18% of 650038 checklistsAug 15-21: 19% of 654639 checklistsAug 22-31: 20% of 974928 checklistsSep 1-7: 21% of 765914 checklistsSep 8-14: 21% of 738674 checklistsSep 15-21: 22% of 750433 checklistsSep 22-30: 22% of 944196 checklistsOct 1-7: 21% of 760106 checklistsOct 8-14: 21% of 793131 checklistsOct 15-21: 20% of 728727 checklistsOct 22-31: 17% of 959954 checklistsNov 1-7: 17% of 709464 checklistsNov 8-14: 16% of 693424 checklistsNov 15-21: 15% of 653952 checklistsNov 22-30: 15% of 871137 checklistsDec 1-7: 13% of 627591 checklistsDec 8-14: 13% of 642427 checklistsDec 15-21: 14% of 775638 checklistsDec 22-31: 14% of 1132751 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Pooled across every state in the data, so it leans toward states with the most birders.

States, in order of first arrivals

StatePatternFirst arrivalsPeakMost gone byPeak %
IllinoisSummer visitorJan 22-31Apr 8-14Nov 1-722%
OhioSummer visitorFeb 8-14Apr 8-14Nov 1-743%
MassachusettsSummer visitorFeb 8-14Apr 8-14Nov 1-713%
NevadaSummer visitorFeb 15-21Apr 15-21Oct 1-719%
MaineSummer visitorFeb 15-21Apr 8-14Nov 1-713%
MichiganSummer visitorFeb 22-28Apr 15-21Oct 22-3128%
OregonSummer visitorFeb 22-28May 8-14Oct 1-726%
District of ColumbiaAll year, most in springFeb 22-28Mar 22-31Apr 22-3020%
WisconsinSummer visitorMar 1-7Apr 22-30Oct 15-2120%
VermontSummer visitorMar 1-7Apr 8-14Oct 22-3117%
KansasSummer visitorMar 8-14Apr 15-21Oct 15-2141%
IowaSummer visitorMar 8-14Apr 15-21Oct 15-2139%
New MexicoSummer visitorMar 8-14Sep 8-14Oct 1-726%
UtahSummer visitorMar 8-14Apr 22-30Sep 22-3016%
IdahoSummer visitorMar 8-14Sep 8-14Sep 22-3012%
WashingtonSummer visitorMar 8-14Jun 15-21Oct 1-79.9%
ArizonaAll year, most in summerMar 15-21Sep 15-21Oct 8-1437%
OklahomaAll year, most in springMar 15-21Apr 8-14Jul 15-2137%
NebraskaSummer visitorMar 15-21Sep 8-14Oct 8-1429%
ColoradoSummer visitorMar 15-21May 15-21Oct 1-716%
MinnesotaSummer visitorMar 15-21May 1-7Oct 8-1415%
Rhode IslandAll year, most in springMar 15-21Apr 22-30Jun 8-1415%
MontanaSummer visitorMar 15-21Sep 8-14Oct 1-712%
South DakotaSummer visitorMar 22-31Sep 8-14Oct 1-727%
WyomingSummer visitorMar 22-31May 8-14Oct 1-714%
North DakotaSummer visitorMar 22-31Sep 8-14Oct 1-712%
ConnecticutAll year, most in fallSep 8-14Oct 8-14Nov 1-717%
New HampshireSummer visitorDec 22-31Apr 8-14Oct 22-3114%
FloridaAll year, most in winterOct 22-31Jan 15-21Mar 22-3147%
LouisianaAll year, most in winterNov 1-7Dec 22-31Apr 1-726%
DelawareYear-round–Apr 8-14–53%
MissouriYear-round–Apr 8-14–43%
KentuckyYear-round–Apr 1-7–42%
MarylandYear-round–Apr 1-7–41%
ArkansasYear-round–Mar 22-31–38%
New JerseyYear-round–Apr 8-14–39%
VirginiaYear-round–Mar 22-31–38%
West VirginiaYear-round–Apr 8-14–38%
IndianaYear-round–Apr 15-21–36%
TexasYear-round–Mar 15-21–34%
PennsylvaniaYear-round–Apr 8-14–32%
South CarolinaYear-round–Mar 8-14–32%
North CarolinaYear-round–Mar 22-31–31%
CaliforniaYear-round–Apr 22-30–29%
TennesseeYear-round–Apr 1-7–28%
GeorgiaYear-round–Mar 8-14–27%
AlabamaYear-round–Mar 1-7–22%
MississippiYear-round–Mar 22-31–22%
New YorkYear-round–Apr 8-14–20%

Winter visitor in: Florida, Louisiana

Passes through: Connecticut

Summer visitor in: New Mexico, Idaho, Arizona, Nebraska, Montana, South Dakota, North Dakota, New Hampshire