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Cathartes aura · Cathartidae

When Do Turkey Vultures Arrive in Louisiana?

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

Turkey Vultures are in Louisiana all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from early November, peak in late December (26% of checklists), and fall back by early April. In the quietest week (late July) they are still on about 9.1% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildNov 1-7early November
PeakDec 22-31late December
Fall back byApr 1-7early April
FewestJul 22-31late July

Best: late December. Here all year; numbers build from early November and fall back by early April. Peak: on about 26% of Louisiana checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 26% of 8384 checklistsJan 8-14: 25% of 6265 checklistsJan 15-21: 26% of 6825 checklistsJan 22-31: 26% of 8776 checklistsFeb 1-7: 26% of 5956 checklistsFeb 8-14: 23% of 6291 checklistsFeb 15-21: 23% of 8044 checklistsFeb 22-28: 27% of 5946 checklistsMar 1-7: 26% of 5981 checklistsMar 8-14: 24% of 6307 checklistsMar 15-21: 24% of 6747 checklistsMar 22-31: 20% of 10487 checklistsApr 1-7: 17% of 8037 checklistsApr 8-14: 16% of 9577 checklistsApr 15-21: 14% of 11372 checklistsApr 22-30: 14% of 14344 checklistsMay 1-7: 15% of 8193 checklistsMay 8-14: 14% of 6823 checklistsMay 15-21: 14% of 4818 checklistsMay 22-31: 14% of 6206 checklistsJun 1-7: 13% of 3660 checklistsJun 8-14: 14% of 3455 checklistsJun 15-21: 12% of 3084 checklistsJun 22-30: 12% of 3904 checklistsJul 1-7: 11% of 3240 checklistsJul 8-14: 10% of 3235 checklistsJul 15-21: 9.1% of 3167 checklistsJul 22-31: 8.9% of 4328 checklistsAug 1-7: 9.3% of 3192 checklistsAug 8-14: 11% of 3394 checklistsAug 15-21: 9.9% of 3502 checklistsAug 22-31: 10% of 5658 checklistsSep 1-7: 12% of 4366 checklistsSep 8-14: 12% of 4648 checklistsSep 15-21: 11% of 4369 checklistsSep 22-30: 13% of 6418 checklistsOct 1-7: 14% of 5375 checklistsOct 8-14: 15% of 6213 checklistsOct 15-21: 16% of 5553 checklistsOct 22-31: 17% of 8879 checklistsNov 1-7: 19% of 6231 checklistsNov 8-14: 22% of 5011 checklistsNov 15-21: 24% of 4856 checklistsNov 22-30: 24% of 6696 checklistsDec 1-7: 22% of 4530 checklistsDec 8-14: 24% of 4883 checklistsDec 15-21: 25% of 5833 checklistsDec 22-31: 27% of 9940 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 Louisiana 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 Louisiana

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. La Salle ParishBest the second week of October · 19 checklists that week, 847 in all76%
  2. Jackson ParishBest late February · 12 checklists that week, 481 in all75%
  3. Madison ParishBest the second week of February · 13 checklists that week, 491 in all71%
  4. East Feliciana ParishBest the second week of January · 24 checklists that week, 1,037 in all70%
  5. Sabine ParishBest the second week of April · 11 checklists that week, 541 in all68%
  6. West Feliciana ParishBest early March · 41 checklists that week, 2,336 in all66%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Fosters CanalPlaquemines Parish, best early November · 28 checklists that week, 363 in all81%
  2. Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge (2)Orleans Parish, best late February · 20 checklists that week, 697 in all78%
  3. Tickfaw State ParkLivingston Parish, best the second week of March · 21 checklists that week, 674 in all73%
  4. Lake la PointeSt. Martin Parish, best early February · 30 checklists that week, 1,443 in all72%

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

Best time of day

In Louisiana, 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 (110) to judge1 am: too few checklists (95) to judge2 am: too few checklists (78) to judge3 am: too few checklists (145) to judge4 am: too few checklists (266) to judge5 am: too few checklists (2981) to judge6 am: 7.1% of 21115 checklists7 am: 11% of 38843 checklists8 am: 17% of 36306 checklists9 am: 25% of 31934 checklists10 am: 27% of 27208 checklists11 am: 28% of 20733 checklists12 pm: 27% of 18505 checklists1 pm: 26% of 17383 checklists2 pm: 24% of 17422 checklists3 pm: 19% of 17005 checklists4 pm: 13% of 17170 checklists5 pm: 8.9% of 12536 checklists6 pm: 4.9% of 8080 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (3798) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (676) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (311) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (206) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (93) 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
January26%25%26%26%
February26%23%23%27%
March26%24%24%20%
April17%16%14%14%
May15%14%14%14%
June13%14%12%12%
July11%10%9.1%8.9%
August9.3%11%9.9%10%
September12%12%11%13%
October14%15%16%17%
November19%22%24%24%
December22%24%25%27%

Neighboring states

Common questions

When do Turkey Vultures arrive in Louisiana?
Turkey Vultures are in Louisiana all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from early November, peak in late December (26% of checklists), and fall back by early April. In the quietest week (late July) they are still on about 9.1% of checklists.
When do Turkey Vultures leave Louisiana?
Turkey Vultures never fully leave Louisiana: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by early April, but some are still reported in every week, about 9.1% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Turkey Vulture in Louisiana?
The Turkey Vulture is reported most often in late December, on about 26% of Louisiana checklists.
Where in Louisiana are Turkey Vultures seen most often?
By county, La Salle Parish, Jackson Parish, and Madison Parish have the highest peak reporting rates for the Turkey Vulture (counties with at least 200 checklists).