WhenToBird

Cathartes aura · Cathartidae

When Do Turkey Vultures Arrive in Kentucky?

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

The Turkey Vulture is in Kentucky all year. It turns up on about 42% of checklists at its peak (early April) and on 14% in its quietest week (the second week of January).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekApr 1-7early April
Quietest weekJan 8-14the second week of January

Best: early April. Here all year. Peak: on about 42% of Kentucky checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 14% of 6923 checklistsJan 8-14: 14% of 4900 checklistsJan 15-21: 13% of 5016 checklistsJan 22-31: 15% of 6611 checklistsFeb 1-7: 21% of 4986 checklistsFeb 8-14: 19% of 5677 checklistsFeb 15-21: 22% of 8880 checklistsFeb 22-28: 30% of 5567 checklistsMar 1-7: 35% of 5397 checklistsMar 8-14: 36% of 5462 checklistsMar 15-21: 41% of 5733 checklistsMar 22-31: 42% of 9043 checklistsApr 1-7: 41% of 6763 checklistsApr 8-14: 42% of 7498 checklistsApr 15-21: 41% of 8486 checklistsApr 22-30: 38% of 13396 checklistsMay 1-7: 33% of 10825 checklistsMay 8-14: 34% of 11495 checklistsMay 15-21: 35% of 7363 checklistsMay 22-31: 35% of 8800 checklistsJun 1-7: 30% of 5381 checklistsJun 8-14: 30% of 5244 checklistsJun 15-21: 31% of 4730 checklistsJun 22-30: 30% of 5470 checklistsJul 1-7: 29% of 4567 checklistsJul 8-14: 30% of 4287 checklistsJul 15-21: 30% of 4097 checklistsJul 22-31: 28% of 6044 checklistsAug 1-7: 31% of 4647 checklistsAug 8-14: 29% of 4256 checklistsAug 15-21: 31% of 4484 checklistsAug 22-31: 30% of 6434 checklistsSep 1-7: 33% of 5450 checklistsSep 8-14: 33% of 5157 checklistsSep 15-21: 34% of 5530 checklistsSep 22-30: 35% of 6710 checklistsOct 1-7: 35% of 5403 checklistsOct 8-14: 35% of 5943 checklistsOct 15-21: 37% of 4873 checklistsOct 22-31: 35% of 6584 checklistsNov 1-7: 35% of 5008 checklistsNov 8-14: 29% of 4677 checklistsNov 15-21: 24% of 4419 checklistsNov 22-30: 22% of 5933 checklistsDec 1-7: 18% of 4479 checklistsDec 8-14: 16% of 4687 checklistsDec 15-21: 19% of 6239 checklistsDec 22-31: 17% of 7976 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 Kentucky 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 Kentucky

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Breckinridge CountyBest late October · 11 checklists that week, 454 in all89%
  2. Garrard CountyBest mid March · 25 checklists that week, 1,578 in all84%
  3. Gallatin CountyBest the second week of July · 11 checklists that week, 470 in all78%
  4. Woodford CountyBest late March · 32 checklists that week, 1,453 in all76%
  5. Mercer CountyBest the second week of June · 35 checklists that week, 1,919 in all75%
  6. Russell CountyBest early April · 21 checklists that week, 1,208 in all73%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Central Park and ArboretumBoone County, best the second week of April · 37 checklists that week, 1,695 in all94%
  2. Peter W. Pfeiffer Fish HatcheryFranklin County, best early April · 30 checklists that week, 1,265 in all93%
  3. Harrods Creek ParkJefferson County, best the second week of May · 37 checklists that week, 699 in all88%
  4. Cove Spring ParkFranklin County, best late April · 26 checklists that week, 476 in all88%
  5. Minor Clark Fish HatcheryRowan County, best late April · 38 checklists that week, 882 in all87%
  6. Hardy Slough PondHenderson County, best mid April · 51 checklists that week, 915 in all84%

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

Best time of day

In Kentucky, the Turkey Vulture is most often listed on checklists started between 11 am and 1 pm (38% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%40%12 am: too few checklists (140) to judge1 am: too few checklists (120) to judge2 am: too few checklists (88) to judge3 am: too few checklists (95) to judge4 am: too few checklists (151) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1289) to judge6 am: 14% of 8227 checklists7 am: 18% of 24608 checklists8 am: 28% of 36577 checklists9 am: 35% of 34626 checklists10 am: 37% of 28796 checklists11 am: 38% of 22781 checklists12 pm: 38% of 19848 checklists1 pm: 38% of 19369 checklists2 pm: 37% of 19367 checklists3 pm: 32% of 19618 checklists4 pm: 27% of 19464 checklists5 pm: 27% of 16639 checklists6 pm: 23% of 12714 checklists7 pm: 15% of 8457 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (3447) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (684) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (267) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (158) 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
January14%14%13%15%
February21%19%22%30%
March35%36%41%42%
April41%42%41%38%
May33%34%35%35%
June30%30%31%30%
July29%30%30%28%
August31%29%31%30%
September33%33%34%35%
October35%35%37%35%
November35%29%24%22%
December18%16%19%17%

Neighboring states

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

Common questions

When do Turkey Vultures arrive in Kentucky?
The Turkey Vulture is in Kentucky all year. It turns up on about 42% of checklists at its peak (early April) and on 14% in its quietest week (the second week of January).
When do Turkey Vultures leave Kentucky?
The Turkey Vulture does not leave Kentucky: it is reported all year, from 14% of checklists in the second week of January to 42% in early April.
When is the best time to see a Turkey Vulture in Kentucky?
The Turkey Vulture is reported most often in early April, on about 42% of Kentucky checklists.
Where in Kentucky are Turkey Vultures seen most often?
By county, Breckinridge County, Garrard County, and Gallatin County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Turkey Vulture (counties with at least 200 checklists).