WhenToBird

Cathartes aura · Cathartidae

When Do Turkey Vultures Arrive in Illinois?

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

Turkey Vultures reach Illinois in late January, are common by early March, peak in the second week of April (22% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.

When to look

First arrivalsJan 22-31late January
Common byMar 1-7early March
PeakApr 8-14the second week of April
Most gone byNov 1-7early November

Best: the second week of April. First arrivals late January; most are gone by early November. Peak: on about 22% of Illinois checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decrare

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 1.5% of 29700 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.3% of 20189 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.5% of 19784 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.6% of 26641 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.8% of 20478 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.7% of 21967 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.8% of 28735 checklistsFeb 22-28: 5.9% of 24223 checklistsMar 1-7: 9.5% of 26775 checklistsMar 8-14: 12% of 27579 checklistsMar 15-21: 16% of 27193 checklistsMar 22-31: 20% of 42278 checklistsApr 1-7: 21% of 34579 checklistsApr 8-14: 22% of 38290 checklistsApr 15-21: 22% of 39261 checklistsApr 22-30: 21% of 59584 checklistsMay 1-7: 20% of 60485 checklistsMay 8-14: 19% of 59647 checklistsMay 15-21: 17% of 43173 checklistsMay 22-31: 17% of 47913 checklistsJun 1-7: 13% of 31151 checklistsJun 8-14: 14% of 27692 checklistsJun 15-21: 13% of 23983 checklistsJun 22-30: 13% of 28448 checklistsJul 1-7: 14% of 21273 checklistsJul 8-14: 14% of 19284 checklistsJul 15-21: 13% of 17712 checklistsJul 22-31: 13% of 24500 checklistsAug 1-7: 14% of 18498 checklistsAug 8-14: 15% of 19331 checklistsAug 15-21: 15% of 19983 checklistsAug 22-31: 15% of 31892 checklistsSep 1-7: 17% of 26396 checklistsSep 8-14: 16% of 25011 checklistsSep 15-21: 15% of 23597 checklistsSep 22-30: 18% of 30638 checklistsOct 1-7: 17% of 23949 checklistsOct 8-14: 17% of 24412 checklistsOct 15-21: 17% of 22359 checklistsOct 22-31: 11% of 29794 checklistsNov 1-7: 7.5% of 21877 checklistsNov 8-14: 5.4% of 19742 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.6% of 18989 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.7% of 23905 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.0% of 16935 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.1% of 16687 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.0% of 20931 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.3% of 29011 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 Illinois 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 Illinois

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Edwards CountyBest the second week of November · 13 checklists that week, 797 in all81%
  2. Wayne CountyBest mid October · 12 checklists that week, 394 in all81%
  3. Jasper CountyBest mid September · 17 checklists that week, 1,292 in all76%
  4. Richland CountyBest late September · 11 checklists that week, 580 in all76%
  5. Fayette CountyBest the second week of October · 17 checklists that week, 1,050 in all75%
  6. Monroe CountyBest mid April · 78 checklists that week, 2,547 in all73%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Fox Ridge State ParkColes County, best the second week of April · 35 checklists that week, 1,010 in all90%
  2. YorkvilleKendall County, best late August · 28 checklists that week, 536 in all88%
  3. John M. Olin Nature PreserveMadison County, best the second week of May · 31 checklists that week, 354 in all84%
  4. Robert Allerton ParkPiatt County, best the second week of April · 46 checklists that week, 1,122 in all83%

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

Best time of day

In Illinois, the Turkey Vulture is most often listed on checklists started between 9 and 11 am (17% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%12 am: too few checklists (484) to judge1 am: too few checklists (631) to judge2 am: too few checklists (485) to judge3 am: too few checklists (610) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2321) to judge5 am: too few checklists (23536) to judge6 am: 7.2% of 95511 checklists7 am: 11% of 164584 checklists8 am: 14% of 163654 checklists9 am: 17% of 141804 checklists10 am: 17% of 122882 checklists11 am: 16% of 100640 checklists12 pm: 15% of 89894 checklists1 pm: 15% of 82729 checklists2 pm: 15% of 79801 checklists3 pm: 13% of 82169 checklists4 pm: 12% of 75124 checklists5 pm: 11% of 57708 checklists6 pm: 8.2% of 41843 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (20943) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (6131) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1677) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (843) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (448) 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
January1.5%1.3%1.5%1.6%
February2.8%2.7%3.8%5.9%
March9.5%12%16%20%
April21%22%22%21%
May20%19%17%17%
June13%14%13%13%
July14%14%13%13%
August14%15%15%15%
September17%16%15%18%
October17%17%17%11%
November7.5%5.4%3.6%2.7%
December2.0%2.1%2.0%2.3%

Neighboring states

  • Indiana: year-round, peaks mid April
  • Wisconsin: arrives early March, 5 weeks later than Illinois
  • Michigan: arrives late February, 4 weeks later than Illinois
  • Iowa: arrives the second week of March, 6 weeks later than Illinois

Common questions

When do Turkey Vultures arrive in Illinois?
Turkey Vultures reach Illinois in late January, are common by early March, peak in the second week of April (22% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.
When do Turkey Vultures leave Illinois?
Most Turkey Vultures have left Illinois by early November, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early January.
When is the best time to see a Turkey Vulture in Illinois?
The Turkey Vulture is reported most often in the second week of April, on about 22% of Illinois checklists.
Where in Illinois are Turkey Vultures seen most often?
By county, Edwards County, Wayne County, and Jasper County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Turkey Vulture (counties with at least 200 checklists).