WhenToBird

Cathartes aura · Cathartidae

When Do Turkey Vultures Arrive in Arizona?

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

Turkey Vultures are in Arizona all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from mid March, peak in mid September (37% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of October. In the quietest week (early December) they are still on about 3.6% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMar 15-21mid March
PeakSep 15-21mid September
Fall back byOct 8-14the second week of October
FewestDec 1-7early December

Best: mid September. Here all year; numbers build from mid March and fall back by the second week of October. Peak: on about 37% of Arizona checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novrare
  12. Decrare

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 3.9% of 34758 checklistsJan 8-14: 4.3% of 29835 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.9% of 29279 checklistsJan 22-31: 4.6% of 39716 checklistsFeb 1-7: 5.1% of 27299 checklistsFeb 8-14: 5.3% of 28703 checklistsFeb 15-21: 5.5% of 35357 checklistsFeb 22-28: 7.2% of 29889 checklistsMar 1-7: 10% of 29932 checklistsMar 8-14: 17% of 32982 checklistsMar 15-21: 26% of 34731 checklistsMar 22-31: 31% of 50213 checklistsApr 1-7: 33% of 35788 checklistsApr 8-14: 32% of 38087 checklistsApr 15-21: 32% of 41520 checklistsApr 22-30: 32% of 55218 checklistsMay 1-7: 31% of 39688 checklistsMay 8-14: 31% of 39398 checklistsMay 15-21: 31% of 29562 checklistsMay 22-31: 31% of 36774 checklistsJun 1-7: 30% of 21313 checklistsJun 8-14: 30% of 19129 checklistsJun 15-21: 30% of 17922 checklistsJun 22-30: 30% of 21188 checklistsJul 1-7: 30% of 17325 checklistsJul 8-14: 30% of 16463 checklistsJul 15-21: 30% of 18642 checklistsJul 22-31: 30% of 31215 checklistsAug 1-7: 33% of 28163 checklistsAug 8-14: 33% of 31329 checklistsAug 15-21: 33% of 23878 checklistsAug 22-31: 32% of 28508 checklistsSep 1-7: 36% of 20878 checklistsSep 8-14: 36% of 19671 checklistsSep 15-21: 38% of 19859 checklistsSep 22-30: 36% of 25179 checklistsOct 1-7: 32% of 19420 checklistsOct 8-14: 23% of 21925 checklistsOct 15-21: 13% of 20995 checklistsOct 22-31: 5.9% of 29258 checklistsNov 1-7: 4.1% of 21269 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.8% of 22753 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.9% of 21982 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.6% of 29475 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.8% of 20810 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.5% of 22229 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.9% of 25148 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.8% of 39567 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 Arizona 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 Arizona

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Greenlee CountyBest late September · 49 checklists that week, 2,745 in all62%
  2. Santa Cruz CountyBest mid September · 1693 checklists that week, 162,726 in all58%
  3. Pinal CountyBest mid September · 571 checklists that week, 40,036 in all57%
  4. Gila CountyBest the second week of September · 272 checklists that week, 14,834 in all51%
  5. La Paz CountyBest mid September · 63 checklists that week, 7,279 in all49%
  6. Cochise CountyBest late September · 2558 checklists that week, 190,093 in all47%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Stone Park (Sols Wash)Maricopa County, best mid March · 23 checklists that week, 135 in all100%
  2. Buenos Aires National Wildlife RefugePima County, best early September · 20 checklists that week, 1,299 in all98%
  3. Boyce Thompson ArboretumPinal County, best late August · 31 checklists that week, 3,778 in all97%
  4. Peña Blanca LakeSanta Cruz County, best the second week of April · 33 checklists that week, 1,847 in all94%
  5. Oracle State ParkPinal County, best early September · 24 checklists that week, 1,372 in all94%
  6. Grand Canyon National Park (Yaki Point)Coconino County, best the second week of September · 25 checklists that week, 311 in all94%

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

Best time of day

In Arizona, the Turkey Vulture is most often listed on checklists started between 8 and 10 am (23% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (488) to judge1 am: too few checklists (503) to judge2 am: too few checklists (489) to judge3 am: too few checklists (735) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4115) to judge5 am: 19% of 38350 checklists6 am: 22% of 118786 checklists7 am: 22% of 183415 checklists8 am: 23% of 187346 checklists9 am: 23% of 151342 checklists10 am: 22% of 124522 checklists11 am: 22% of 97088 checklists12 pm: 21% of 78110 checklists1 pm: 22% of 73059 checklists2 pm: 21% of 68912 checklists3 pm: 19% of 68060 checklists4 pm: 17% of 69387 checklists5 pm: 16% of 52951 checklists6 pm: 15% of 31061 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (16076) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (5352) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2369) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1100) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (604) 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
January3.9%4.3%3.9%4.6%
February5.1%5.3%5.5%7.2%
March10%17%26%31%
April33%32%32%32%
May31%31%31%31%
June30%30%30%30%
July30%30%30%30%
August33%33%33%32%
September36%36%38%36%
October32%23%13%5.9%
November4.1%3.8%3.9%3.6%
December3.8%3.5%3.9%3.8%

Neighboring states

  • New Mexico: arrives the second week of March, 1 week earlier than Arizona
  • Nevada: arrives mid February, 4 weeks earlier than Arizona
  • Utah: arrives the second week of March, 1 week earlier than Arizona
  • California: year-round, peaks late April

Common questions

When do Turkey Vultures arrive in Arizona?
Turkey Vultures are in Arizona all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from mid March, peak in mid September (37% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of October. In the quietest week (early December) they are still on about 3.6% of checklists.
When do Turkey Vultures leave Arizona?
Turkey Vultures never fully leave Arizona: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by the second week of October, but some are still reported in every week, about 3.6% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Turkey Vulture in Arizona?
The Turkey Vulture is reported most often in mid September, on about 37% of Arizona checklists.
Where in Arizona are Turkey Vultures seen most often?
By county, Greenlee County, Santa Cruz County, and Pinal County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Turkey Vulture (counties with at least 200 checklists).