WhenToBird

Cathartes aura · Cathartidae

When Do Turkey Vultures Arrive in Kansas?

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

Turkey Vultures reach Kansas in the second week of March, are common by mid March, peak in mid April (41% of checklists), and most are gone by mid October.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 8-14the second week of March
Common byMar 15-21mid March
PeakApr 15-21mid April
Most gone byOct 15-21mid October

Best: mid April. First arrivals the second week of March; most are gone by mid October. Peak: on about 41% of Kansas checklists.

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

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

0%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 0% of 8683 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 5710 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 5453 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 7868 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 5579 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 6307 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.2% of 7830 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.4% of 6124 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.8% of 6442 checklistsMar 8-14: 4.9% of 6925 checklistsMar 15-21: 17% of 7257 checklistsMar 22-31: 31% of 11527 checklistsApr 1-7: 39% of 8908 checklistsApr 8-14: 41% of 11070 checklistsApr 15-21: 42% of 11050 checklistsApr 22-30: 40% of 16381 checklistsMay 1-7: 38% of 15899 checklistsMay 8-14: 37% of 15349 checklistsMay 15-21: 36% of 10474 checklistsMay 22-31: 35% of 11264 checklistsJun 1-7: 32% of 6783 checklistsJun 8-14: 31% of 5654 checklistsJun 15-21: 31% of 4716 checklistsJun 22-30: 31% of 6232 checklistsJul 1-7: 30% of 5073 checklistsJul 8-14: 29% of 4528 checklistsJul 15-21: 27% of 4210 checklistsJul 22-31: 28% of 5986 checklistsAug 1-7: 30% of 4661 checklistsAug 8-14: 30% of 4762 checklistsAug 15-21: 31% of 4823 checklistsAug 22-31: 33% of 7214 checklistsSep 1-7: 36% of 5989 checklistsSep 8-14: 36% of 5549 checklistsSep 15-21: 37% of 5255 checklistsSep 22-30: 39% of 7370 checklistsOct 1-7: 38% of 5829 checklistsOct 8-14: 35% of 6183 checklistsOct 15-21: 20% of 5504 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.9% of 7289 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.7% of 5535 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 5462 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 4929 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 6627 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 4670 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 4805 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 6341 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 8186 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 Kansas 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 Kansas

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Comanche CountyBest late September · 16 checklists that week, 769 in all83%
  2. Morris CountyBest late September · 10 checklists that week, 556 in all80%
  3. Osage CountyBest the second week of September · 39 checklists that week, 3,723 in all74%
  4. Linn CountyBest late April · 73 checklists that week, 2,601 in all73%
  5. Elk CountyBest late May · 17 checklists that week, 411 in all73%
  6. Scott CountyBest mid April · 76 checklists that week, 1,780 in all73%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Rocky Ford State Fishing AreaPottawatomie County, best late May · 23 checklists that week, 720 in all95%
  2. Clinton Recreation Area (west)Douglas County, best late September · 60 checklists that week, 1,427 in all91%
  3. Tuttle Creek Recreation Area (Cedar Creek)Riley County, best late April · 27 checklists that week, 320 in all91%
  4. Marais Des Cygne Wildlife AreaLinn County, best late April · 21 checklists that week, 470 in all89%

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

Best time of day

In Kansas, the Turkey Vulture is most often listed on checklists started between 9 and 11 am (26% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (150) to judge1 am: too few checklists (119) to judge2 am: too few checklists (97) to judge3 am: too few checklists (94) to judge4 am: too few checklists (124) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1459) to judge6 am: 20% of 12550 checklists7 am: 20% of 34128 checklists8 am: 23% of 45960 checklists9 am: 26% of 37806 checklists10 am: 26% of 32102 checklists11 am: 23% of 25896 checklists12 pm: 22% of 24203 checklists1 pm: 22% of 20269 checklists2 pm: 22% of 20772 checklists3 pm: 21% of 20978 checklists4 pm: 21% of 22094 checklists5 pm: 26% of 17739 checklists6 pm: 25% of 13963 checklists7 pm: 17% of 10110 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (4188) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (968) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (325) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (171) 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%0.1%
February0.1%0.1%0.2%0.4%
March1.8%4.9%17%31%
April39%41%42%40%
May38%37%36%35%
June32%31%31%31%
July30%29%27%28%
August30%30%31%33%
September36%36%37%39%
October38%35%20%3.9%
November0.7%0.1%0.1%0.1%
December0.1%0%0.1%0%

Neighboring states

  • Nebraska: arrives mid March, 1 week later than Kansas
  • Oklahoma: arrives mid March, 1 week later than Kansas
  • Missouri: year-round, peaks the second week of April
  • Arkansas: year-round, peaks late March

Common questions

When do Turkey Vultures arrive in Kansas?
Turkey Vultures reach Kansas in the second week of March, are common by mid March, peak in mid April (41% of checklists), and most are gone by mid October.
When do Turkey Vultures leave Kansas?
Most Turkey Vultures have left Kansas by mid October, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late October.
When is the best time to see a Turkey Vulture in Kansas?
The Turkey Vulture is reported most often in mid April, on about 41% of Kansas checklists.
Where in Kansas are Turkey Vultures seen most often?
By county, Comanche County, Morris County, and Osage County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Turkey Vulture (counties with at least 200 checklists).