WhenToBird

Cathartes aura · Cathartidae

When Do Turkey Vultures Arrive in Indiana?

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

The Turkey Vulture is in Indiana all year. It turns up on about 36% of checklists at its peak (mid April) and on 4.0% in its quietest week (mid January).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekApr 15-21mid April
Quietest weekJan 15-21mid January

Best: mid April. Here all year. Peak: on about 36% of Indiana checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 4.2% of 18123 checklistsJan 8-14: 4.0% of 12006 checklistsJan 15-21: 4.0% of 12403 checklistsJan 22-31: 4.1% of 16181 checklistsFeb 1-7: 6.1% of 12546 checklistsFeb 8-14: 6.2% of 14250 checklistsFeb 15-21: 9.9% of 18077 checklistsFeb 22-28: 16% of 13590 checklistsMar 1-7: 22% of 14545 checklistsMar 8-14: 27% of 14594 checklistsMar 15-21: 31% of 13894 checklistsMar 22-31: 35% of 22400 checklistsApr 1-7: 34% of 18069 checklistsApr 8-14: 36% of 19579 checklistsApr 15-21: 36% of 19518 checklistsApr 22-30: 35% of 30544 checklistsMay 1-7: 32% of 28430 checklistsMay 8-14: 29% of 30624 checklistsMay 15-21: 28% of 22920 checklistsMay 22-31: 28% of 21234 checklistsJun 1-7: 25% of 12279 checklistsJun 8-14: 25% of 10904 checklistsJun 15-21: 25% of 9488 checklistsJun 22-30: 24% of 11362 checklistsJul 1-7: 23% of 9947 checklistsJul 8-14: 22% of 9585 checklistsJul 15-21: 21% of 8929 checklistsJul 22-31: 22% of 12639 checklistsAug 1-7: 24% of 9528 checklistsAug 8-14: 24% of 9451 checklistsAug 15-21: 25% of 9442 checklistsAug 22-31: 26% of 14969 checklistsSep 1-7: 29% of 12628 checklistsSep 8-14: 28% of 11793 checklistsSep 15-21: 26% of 11396 checklistsSep 22-30: 30% of 14203 checklistsOct 1-7: 30% of 11365 checklistsOct 8-14: 31% of 12092 checklistsOct 15-21: 31% of 10440 checklistsOct 22-31: 26% of 13883 checklistsNov 1-7: 23% of 10476 checklistsNov 8-14: 15% of 9776 checklistsNov 15-21: 10% of 9035 checklistsNov 22-30: 7.5% of 12547 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.7% of 9078 checklistsDec 8-14: 4.9% of 8732 checklistsDec 15-21: 5.2% of 11024 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.4% of 15432 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 Indiana 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 Indiana

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Fountain CountyBest mid March · 12 checklists that week, 397 in all83%
  2. Clinton CountyBest the second week of June · 15 checklists that week, 900 in all78%
  3. Parke CountyBest early April · 44 checklists that week, 1,527 in all76%
  4. Blackford CountyBest the second week of October · 10 checklists that week, 962 in all74%
  5. Washington CountyBest early November · 19 checklists that week, 1,463 in all73%
  6. Scott CountyBest the second week of March · 22 checklists that week, 798 in all69%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Vaughn HollowBrown County, best late March · 44 checklists that week, 919 in all95%
  2. Brookville Recreation Area (Salt Well Creek)Franklin County, best late August · 21 checklists that week, 464 in all91%
  3. Paynetown State Recreation AreaMonroe County, best mid November · 29 checklists that week, 989 in all91%
  4. Turkey Run State ParkParke County, best the second week of March · 21 checklists that week, 521 in all86%
  5. Cutright State Recreation AreaMonroe County, best the second week of October · 27 checklists that week, 518 in all86%

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

Best time of day

In Indiana, the Turkey Vulture is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (27% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (240) to judge1 am: too few checklists (231) to judge2 am: too few checklists (222) to judge3 am: too few checklists (202) to judge4 am: too few checklists (674) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4329) to judge6 am: 15% of 20589 checklists7 am: 16% of 58470 checklists8 am: 20% of 86931 checklists9 am: 25% of 78239 checklists10 am: 27% of 66080 checklists11 am: 27% of 54904 checklists12 pm: 25% of 47610 checklists1 pm: 27% of 44814 checklists2 pm: 26% of 43790 checklists3 pm: 25% of 42983 checklists4 pm: 24% of 45349 checklists5 pm: 23% of 35993 checklists6 pm: 20% of 26447 checklists7 pm: 13% of 17740 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (7603) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1721) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (517) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (272) 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
January4.2%4.0%4.0%4.1%
February6.1%6.2%9.9%16%
March22%27%31%35%
April34%36%36%35%
May32%29%28%28%
June25%25%25%24%
July23%22%21%22%
August24%24%25%26%
September29%28%26%30%
October30%31%31%26%
November23%15%10%7.5%
December4.7%4.9%5.2%4.4%

Neighboring states

  • Illinois: summer visitor, peaks the second week of April
  • Kentucky: year-round, peaks early April
  • Ohio: summer visitor, peaks the second week of April
  • Michigan: summer visitor, peaks mid April

Common questions

When do Turkey Vultures arrive in Indiana?
The Turkey Vulture is in Indiana all year. It turns up on about 36% of checklists at its peak (mid April) and on 4.0% in its quietest week (mid January).
When do Turkey Vultures leave Indiana?
The Turkey Vulture does not leave Indiana: it is reported all year, from 4.0% of checklists in mid January to 36% in mid April.
When is the best time to see a Turkey Vulture in Indiana?
The Turkey Vulture is reported most often in mid April, on about 36% of Indiana checklists.
Where in Indiana are Turkey Vultures seen most often?
By county, Fountain County, Clinton County, and Parke County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Turkey Vulture (counties with at least 200 checklists).