WhenToBird

Cathartes aura · Cathartidae

When Do Turkey Vultures Arrive in Arkansas?

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

The Turkey Vulture is in Arkansas all year. It turns up on about 38% of checklists at its peak (late March) and on 19% in its quietest week (the second week of June).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekMar 22-31late March
Quietest weekJun 8-14the second week of June

Best: late March. Here all year. Peak: on about 38% of Arkansas checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 27% of 5292 checklistsJan 8-14: 25% of 4085 checklistsJan 15-21: 23% of 4531 checklistsJan 22-31: 23% of 6500 checklistsFeb 1-7: 24% of 4752 checklistsFeb 8-14: 20% of 5385 checklistsFeb 15-21: 23% of 7219 checklistsFeb 22-28: 30% of 4163 checklistsMar 1-7: 34% of 3952 checklistsMar 8-14: 34% of 4067 checklistsMar 15-21: 38% of 4446 checklistsMar 22-31: 39% of 6911 checklistsApr 1-7: 38% of 5422 checklistsApr 8-14: 37% of 6043 checklistsApr 15-21: 33% of 6759 checklistsApr 22-30: 30% of 10236 checklistsMay 1-7: 29% of 8243 checklistsMay 8-14: 29% of 7467 checklistsMay 15-21: 24% of 6160 checklistsMay 22-31: 21% of 7287 checklistsJun 1-7: 18% of 4884 checklistsJun 8-14: 17% of 4444 checklistsJun 15-21: 21% of 3579 checklistsJun 22-30: 23% of 3858 checklistsJul 1-7: 22% of 3042 checklistsJul 8-14: 22% of 2889 checklistsJul 15-21: 21% of 2599 checklistsJul 22-31: 22% of 3825 checklistsAug 1-7: 24% of 2951 checklistsAug 8-14: 22% of 2765 checklistsAug 15-21: 22% of 2838 checklistsAug 22-31: 26% of 4360 checklistsSep 1-7: 27% of 3573 checklistsSep 8-14: 27% of 3314 checklistsSep 15-21: 27% of 3118 checklistsSep 22-30: 29% of 4381 checklistsOct 1-7: 30% of 3640 checklistsOct 8-14: 34% of 4119 checklistsOct 15-21: 35% of 3810 checklistsOct 22-31: 31% of 4956 checklistsNov 1-7: 33% of 3704 checklistsNov 8-14: 32% of 3678 checklistsNov 15-21: 32% of 3457 checklistsNov 22-30: 31% of 4648 checklistsDec 1-7: 28% of 3390 checklistsDec 8-14: 26% of 3510 checklistsDec 15-21: 30% of 4540 checklistsDec 22-31: 30% of 6404 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 Arkansas 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 Arkansas

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Izard CountyBest mid September · 10 checklists that week, 788 in all73%
  2. Logan CountyBest late September · 34 checklists that week, 1,122 in all72%
  3. Drew CountyBest mid October · 10 checklists that week, 720 in all71%
  4. Little River CountyBest the second week of October · 21 checklists that week, 510 in all70%
  5. Howard CountyBest mid February · 15 checklists that week, 238 in all70%
  6. Lafayette CountyBest the second week of January · 12 checklists that week, 352 in all70%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Siloam Springs LakeBenton County, best late March · 21 checklists that week, 678 in all89%
  2. Norfork Recreation AreaBaxter County, best late October · 24 checklists that week, 381 in all86%
  3. GillamPulaski County, best mid April · 22 checklists that week, 277 in all84%
  4. Lake Sequoyah ParkWashington County, best late March · 44 checklists that week, 1,719 in all82%
  5. Chensey Prairie Natural AreaBenton County, best mid October · 20 checklists that week, 375 in all81%

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

Best time of day

In Arkansas, the Turkey Vulture is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (38% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%40%12 am: too few checklists (98) to judge1 am: too few checklists (88) to judge2 am: too few checklists (95) to judge3 am: too few checklists (94) to judge4 am: too few checklists (145) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1455) to judge6 am: 13% of 10807 checklists7 am: 16% of 27761 checklists8 am: 24% of 30943 checklists9 am: 32% of 26975 checklists10 am: 37% of 21989 checklists11 am: 38% of 16828 checklists12 pm: 37% of 14069 checklists1 pm: 38% of 13145 checklists2 pm: 37% of 12780 checklists3 pm: 32% of 12723 checklists4 pm: 27% of 12500 checklists5 pm: 24% of 9576 checklists6 pm: 16% of 7182 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (4187) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (1314) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (245) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (122) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (75) 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
January27%25%23%23%
February24%20%23%30%
March34%34%38%39%
April38%37%33%30%
May29%29%24%21%
June18%17%21%23%
July22%22%21%22%
August24%22%22%26%
September27%27%27%29%
October30%34%35%31%
November33%32%32%31%
December28%26%30%30%

Neighboring states

  • Missouri: year-round, peaks the second week of April
  • Oklahoma: all year, most in spring, peaks the second week of April
  • Kansas: summer visitor, peaks mid April
  • Mississippi: year-round, peaks late March

Common questions

When do Turkey Vultures arrive in Arkansas?
The Turkey Vulture is in Arkansas all year. It turns up on about 38% of checklists at its peak (late March) and on 19% in its quietest week (the second week of June).
When do Turkey Vultures leave Arkansas?
The Turkey Vulture does not leave Arkansas: it is reported all year, from 19% of checklists in the second week of June to 38% in late March.
When is the best time to see a Turkey Vulture in Arkansas?
The Turkey Vulture is reported most often in late March, on about 38% of Arkansas checklists.
Where in Arkansas are Turkey Vultures seen most often?
By county, Izard County, Logan County, and Drew County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Turkey Vulture (counties with at least 200 checklists).