WhenToBird

Cathartes aura · Cathartidae

When Do Turkey Vultures Arrive in Massachusetts?

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

Turkey Vultures reach Massachusetts in the second week of February, are common by early March, peak in the second week of April (13% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 8-14the second week of February
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 the second week of February; most are gone by early November. Peak: on about 13% of Massachusetts 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. Novcommon
  12. Decrare

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 1.1% of 43252 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.2% of 30096 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.2% of 28760 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.4% of 38135 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.3% of 26442 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.9% of 29034 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.6% of 37383 checklistsFeb 22-28: 4.0% of 29977 checklistsMar 1-7: 5.2% of 29175 checklistsMar 8-14: 8.0% of 32399 checklistsMar 15-21: 9.5% of 34444 checklistsMar 22-31: 11% of 49126 checklistsApr 1-7: 12% of 36456 checklistsApr 8-14: 13% of 40908 checklistsApr 15-21: 13% of 42078 checklistsApr 22-30: 12% of 56465 checklistsMay 1-7: 11% of 56994 checklistsMay 8-14: 11% of 64079 checklistsMay 15-21: 11% of 52020 checklistsMay 22-31: 10% of 55402 checklistsJun 1-7: 8.9% of 30682 checklistsJun 8-14: 9.4% of 27557 checklistsJun 15-21: 9.3% of 26163 checklistsJun 22-30: 7.7% of 29576 checklistsJul 1-7: 7.6% of 23931 checklistsJul 8-14: 6.8% of 22389 checklistsJul 15-21: 6.1% of 22365 checklistsJul 22-31: 6.3% of 32631 checklistsAug 1-7: 6.4% of 25133 checklistsAug 8-14: 6.1% of 24610 checklistsAug 15-21: 6.8% of 25350 checklistsAug 22-31: 7.7% of 37198 checklistsSep 1-7: 8.2% of 27402 checklistsSep 8-14: 8.9% of 27700 checklistsSep 15-21: 10% of 28398 checklistsSep 22-30: 10% of 34646 checklistsOct 1-7: 10% of 28620 checklistsOct 8-14: 10% of 30144 checklistsOct 15-21: 8.9% of 28893 checklistsOct 22-31: 6.7% of 38869 checklistsNov 1-7: 5.1% of 29782 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.5% of 27582 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.2% of 26642 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.7% of 34390 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.2% of 25164 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.2% of 24892 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.4% of 29022 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.3% of 44323 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 Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Nantucket CountyBest early October · 481 checklists that week, 23,895 in all30%
  2. Berkshire CountyBest the second week of April · 2760 checklists that week, 92,890 in all22%
  3. Franklin CountyBest the second week of April · 1342 checklists that week, 41,382 in all20%
  4. Worcester CountyBest the second week of April · 3378 checklists that week, 128,594 in all20%
  5. Hampshire CountyBest late September · 3514 checklists that week, 162,423 in all18%
  6. Dukes CountyBest late October · 505 checklists that week, 23,670 in all17%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Connecticut River ReservoirHampshire County, best the second week of June · 20 checklists that week, 1,745 in all90%
  2. Wachusett Mountain State ReservationWorcester County, best early September · 24 checklists that week, 718 in all85%
  3. Putnam PondWorcester County, best late March · 49 checklists that week, 1,801 in all85%
  4. Allens Pond (north)Bristol County, best mid November · 20 checklists that week, 281 in all74%
  5. Madaket Conservation AreaNantucket County, best the second week of April · 30 checklists that week, 1,071 in all74%

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

Best time of day

In Massachusetts, the Turkey Vulture is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (9.3% of those checklists).

0%5%10%12 am: too few checklists (630) to judge1 am: too few checklists (657) to judge2 am: too few checklists (645) to judge3 am: too few checklists (850) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3787) to judge5 am: too few checklists (29743) to judge6 am: 3.7% of 108601 checklists7 am: 4.9% of 186104 checklists8 am: 7.2% of 185905 checklists9 am: 8.9% of 166049 checklists10 am: 9.6% of 150508 checklists11 am: 9.1% of 131024 checklists12 pm: 8.6% of 116804 checklists1 pm: 8.5% of 112055 checklists2 pm: 7.8% of 110246 checklists3 pm: 7.3% of 104376 checklists4 pm: 7.5% of 83736 checklists5 pm: 6.2% of 63723 checklists6 pm: 4.2% of 41435 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (21041) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (5240) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1722) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1094) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (704) 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
January1.1%1.2%1.2%1.4%
February1.3%1.9%2.6%4.0%
March5.2%8.0%9.5%11%
April12%13%13%12%
May11%11%11%10%
June8.9%9.4%9.3%7.7%
July7.6%6.8%6.1%6.3%
August6.4%6.1%6.8%7.7%
September8.2%8.9%10%10%
October10%10%8.9%6.7%
November5.1%3.5%2.2%1.7%
December1.2%1.2%1.4%1.3%

Neighboring states

  • Rhode Island: arrives mid March, 5 weeks later than Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire: arrives late December, 6 weeks earlier than Massachusetts
  • Connecticut: arrives the second week of September, 20 weeks earlier than Massachusetts
  • Vermont: arrives early March, 3 weeks later than Massachusetts

Common questions

When do Turkey Vultures arrive in Massachusetts?
Turkey Vultures reach Massachusetts in the second week of February, are common by early March, peak in the second week of April (13% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.
When do Turkey Vultures leave Massachusetts?
Most Turkey Vultures have left Massachusetts by early November, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid November.
When is the best time to see a Turkey Vulture in Massachusetts?
The Turkey Vulture is reported most often in the second week of April, on about 13% of Massachusetts checklists.
Where in Massachusetts are Turkey Vultures seen most often?
By county, Nantucket County, Berkshire County, and Franklin County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Turkey Vulture (counties with at least 200 checklists).