WhenToBird

Cathartes aura · Cathartidae

When Do Turkey Vultures Arrive in Idaho?

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

Turkey Vultures reach Idaho in the second week of March, are common by late March, peak in the second week of September (12% of checklists), and most are gone by late September.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 8-14the second week of March
Common byMar 22-31late March
PeakSep 8-14the second week of September
Most gone bySep 22-30late September

Best: the second week of September. First arrivals the second week of March; most are gone by late September. Peak: on about 12% of Idaho checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 0% of 9357 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 6408 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 6358 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 8601 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 5611 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 6090 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 7973 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 5866 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.2% of 6144 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.1% of 6456 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.8% of 6786 checklistsMar 22-31: 8.4% of 9539 checklistsApr 1-7: 11% of 7202 checklistsApr 8-14: 12% of 7608 checklistsApr 15-21: 12% of 8069 checklistsApr 22-30: 11% of 10973 checklistsMay 1-7: 12% of 9481 checklistsMay 8-14: 13% of 11318 checklistsMay 15-21: 12% of 9141 checklistsMay 22-31: 12% of 13984 checklistsJun 1-7: 11% of 8897 checklistsJun 8-14: 11% of 8504 checklistsJun 15-21: 13% of 8078 checklistsJun 22-30: 11% of 9665 checklistsJul 1-7: 10% of 7144 checklistsJul 8-14: 9.0% of 6557 checklistsJul 15-21: 8.8% of 6430 checklistsJul 22-31: 8.2% of 8696 checklistsAug 1-7: 8.4% of 5896 checklistsAug 8-14: 9.7% of 5643 checklistsAug 15-21: 9.4% of 6151 checklistsAug 22-31: 11% of 7863 checklistsSep 1-7: 11% of 5769 checklistsSep 8-14: 13% of 5646 checklistsSep 15-21: 13% of 5460 checklistsSep 22-30: 11% of 6363 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.9% of 4980 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.6% of 5096 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.2% of 4878 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 6426 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 4822 checklistsNov 8-14: 0% of 4999 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 4601 checklistsNov 22-30: 0% of 6027 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 4180 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 4775 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 6522 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 7792 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 Idaho 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 Idaho

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lincoln CountyBest early September · 11 checklists that week, 218 in all42%
  2. Butte CountyBest early September · 50 checklists that week, 1,276 in all38%
  3. Cassia CountyBest early September · 185 checklists that week, 9,223 in all33%
  4. Gooding CountyBest mid April · 129 checklists that week, 3,207 in all32%
  5. Lewis CountyBest mid August · 12 checklists that week, 603 in all30%
  6. Caribou CountyBest early May · 25 checklists that week, 608 in all29%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Shoshone Falls ParkTwin Falls County, best the second week of June · 21 checklists that week, 394 in all70%
  2. Sawtooth National ForestCassia County, best mid September · 20 checklists that week, 885 in all65%
  3. Sawtooth National Forest (Little Fork Spring)Cassia County, best late August · 32 checklists that week, 406 in all63%
  4. Lucky Peak State ParkAda County, best late April · 42 checklists that week, 1,311 in all61%
  5. Lydle GulchAda County, best mid September · 37 checklists that week, 1,368 in all59%

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

Best time of day

In Idaho, the Turkey Vulture is most often listed on checklists started between 9 and 11 am (7.7% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%12 am: too few checklists (180) to judge1 am: too few checklists (176) to judge2 am: too few checklists (169) to judge3 am: too few checklists (164) to judge4 am: too few checklists (450) to judge5 am: too few checklists (2270) to judge6 am: 4.4% of 9122 checklists7 am: 4.7% of 22204 checklists8 am: 6.0% of 38672 checklists9 am: 7.5% of 38930 checklists10 am: 7.8% of 37338 checklists11 am: 7.5% of 33508 checklists12 pm: 6.7% of 28544 checklists1 pm: 6.7% of 25774 checklists2 pm: 6.9% of 24296 checklists3 pm: 6.4% of 21784 checklists4 pm: 6.8% of 19051 checklists5 pm: 7.6% of 14150 checklists6 pm: 6.8% of 10014 checklists7 pm: 4.7% of 7495 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (4352) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1449) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (525) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (208) 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
January0%0%0.1%0%
February0%0.1%0.1%0.1%
March0.2%1.1%3.8%8.4%
April11%12%12%11%
May12%13%12%12%
June11%11%13%11%
July10%9.0%8.8%8.2%
August8.4%9.7%9.4%11%
September11%13%13%11%
October3.9%0.6%0.2%0.1%
November0.1%0%0%0%
December0.1%0.1%0.1%0%

Neighboring states

  • Montana: arrives mid March, 1 week later than Idaho
  • Utah: arrives the second week of March, in the same week than Idaho
  • Oregon: arrives late February, 2 weeks earlier than Idaho
  • Washington: arrives the second week of March, in the same week than Idaho

Common questions

When do Turkey Vultures arrive in Idaho?
Turkey Vultures reach Idaho in the second week of March, are common by late March, peak in the second week of September (12% of checklists), and most are gone by late September.
When do Turkey Vultures leave Idaho?
Most Turkey Vultures have left Idaho by late September, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of October.
When is the best time to see a Turkey Vulture in Idaho?
The Turkey Vulture is reported most often in the second week of September, on about 12% of Idaho checklists.
Where in Idaho are Turkey Vultures seen most often?
By county, Lincoln County, Butte County, and Cassia County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Turkey Vulture (counties with at least 200 checklists).