WhenToBird

Cathartes aura · Cathartidae

When Do Turkey Vultures Arrive in California?

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

The Turkey Vulture is in California all year. It turns up on about 29% of checklists at its peak (late April) and on 23% in its quietest week (the second week of December).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekApr 22-30late April
Quietest weekDec 8-14the second week of December

Best: late April. Here all year. Peak: on about 29% of California checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  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. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 24% of 112336 checklistsJan 8-14: 25% of 85518 checklistsJan 15-21: 25% of 86488 checklistsJan 22-31: 25% of 116174 checklistsFeb 1-7: 25% of 75171 checklistsFeb 8-14: 26% of 84467 checklistsFeb 15-21: 26% of 105683 checklistsFeb 22-28: 27% of 83396 checklistsMar 1-7: 28% of 77470 checklistsMar 8-14: 29% of 75180 checklistsMar 15-21: 29% of 80770 checklistsMar 22-31: 30% of 114116 checklistsApr 1-7: 29% of 84057 checklistsApr 8-14: 29% of 83692 checklistsApr 15-21: 30% of 89242 checklistsApr 22-30: 29% of 114289 checklistsMay 1-7: 29% of 85728 checklistsMay 8-14: 28% of 91984 checklistsMay 15-21: 29% of 75478 checklistsMay 22-31: 28% of 106250 checklistsJun 1-7: 27% of 70051 checklistsJun 8-14: 26% of 67485 checklistsJun 15-21: 26% of 66269 checklistsJun 22-30: 25% of 79172 checklistsJul 1-7: 25% of 62877 checklistsJul 8-14: 23% of 60328 checklistsJul 15-21: 25% of 59705 checklistsJul 22-31: 25% of 83796 checklistsAug 1-7: 25% of 60215 checklistsAug 8-14: 26% of 60172 checklistsAug 15-21: 26% of 59877 checklistsAug 22-31: 27% of 89107 checklistsSep 1-7: 27% of 72000 checklistsSep 8-14: 28% of 71228 checklistsSep 15-21: 30% of 76808 checklistsSep 22-30: 28% of 100204 checklistsOct 1-7: 26% of 76571 checklistsOct 8-14: 26% of 80874 checklistsOct 15-21: 24% of 74581 checklistsOct 22-31: 25% of 97498 checklistsNov 1-7: 24% of 70851 checklistsNov 8-14: 24% of 72431 checklistsNov 15-21: 25% of 66767 checklistsNov 22-30: 25% of 94737 checklistsDec 1-7: 23% of 65393 checklistsDec 8-14: 23% of 67449 checklistsDec 15-21: 23% of 83421 checklistsDec 22-31: 24% of 124993 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 California 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in California

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Glenn CountyBest the second week of March · 51 checklists that week, 5,189 in all73%
  2. Tehama CountyBest early April · 373 checklists that week, 15,658 in all67%
  3. Amador CountyBest the second week of March · 92 checklists that week, 4,733 in all65%
  4. Napa CountyBest early April · 368 checklists that week, 18,976 in all60%
  5. Sonoma CountyBest late March · 3253 checklists that week, 113,105 in all58%
  6. Lake CountyBest the second week of March · 265 checklists that week, 12,989 in all58%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hain Wilderness Area (Monolith)San Benito County, best the second week of February · 20 checklists that week, 657 in all100%
  2. Camanche ReservoirSan Joaquin County, best mid May · 20 checklists that week, 678 in all100%
  3. Lake del Valle State Recreation AreaAlameda County, best early March · 22 checklists that week, 783 in all100%
  4. American River ParkwaySacramento County, best early November · 31 checklists that week, 1,855 in all99%
  5. San Diego Safari ParkSan Diego County, best the second week of October · 32 checklists that week, 1,545 in all99%
  6. Lake del Valle State Recreation Area (Heron Bay)Alameda County, best late April · 43 checklists that week, 360 in all99%

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

Best time of day

In California, the Turkey Vulture is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (33% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%40%12 am: too few checklists (1688) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1451) to judge2 am: too few checklists (1402) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1743) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4647) to judge5 am: too few checklists (32158) to judge6 am: 14% of 186053 checklists7 am: 19% of 444086 checklists8 am: 26% of 535846 checklists9 am: 31% of 486061 checklists10 am: 33% of 411130 checklists11 am: 33% of 325798 checklists12 pm: 32% of 269132 checklists1 pm: 32% of 244762 checklists2 pm: 30% of 235420 checklists3 pm: 26% of 232365 checklists4 pm: 21% of 208688 checklists5 pm: 19% of 146104 checklists6 pm: 14% of 96867 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (50942) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (14803) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5561) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (3546) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (2092) 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
January24%25%25%25%
February25%26%26%27%
March28%29%29%30%
April29%29%30%29%
May29%28%29%28%
June27%26%26%25%
July25%23%25%25%
August25%26%26%27%
September27%28%30%28%
October26%26%24%25%
November24%24%25%25%
December23%23%23%24%

Neighboring states

  • Nevada: summer visitor, peaks mid April
  • Utah: summer visitor, peaks late April
  • Arizona: all year, most in summer, peaks mid September
  • Oregon: summer visitor, peaks the second week of May

Common questions

When do Turkey Vultures arrive in California?
The Turkey Vulture is in California all year. It turns up on about 29% of checklists at its peak (late April) and on 23% in its quietest week (the second week of December).
When do Turkey Vultures leave California?
The Turkey Vulture does not leave California: it is reported all year, from 23% of checklists in the second week of December to 29% in late April.
When is the best time to see a Turkey Vulture in California?
The Turkey Vulture is reported most often in late April, on about 29% of California checklists.
Where in California are Turkey Vultures seen most often?
By county, Glenn County, Tehama County, and Amador County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Turkey Vulture (counties with at least 200 checklists).