WhenToBird

Cathartes aura · Cathartidae

When Do Turkey Vultures Arrive in Michigan?

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

Turkey Vultures reach Michigan in late February, are common by the second week of March, peak in mid April (28% of checklists), and most are gone by late October.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 22-28late February
Common byMar 8-14the second week of March
PeakApr 15-21mid April
Most gone byOct 22-31late October

Best: mid April. First arrivals late February; most are gone by late October. Peak: on about 28% of Michigan checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febrare
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 0.3% of 38160 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.3% of 24696 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.2% of 23771 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.3% of 31347 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.4% of 23225 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.5% of 27398 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.7% of 36606 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.4% of 27127 checklistsMar 1-7: 5.1% of 29700 checklistsMar 8-14: 11% of 31587 checklistsMar 15-21: 17% of 32118 checklistsMar 22-31: 22% of 47777 checklistsApr 1-7: 27% of 38557 checklistsApr 8-14: 29% of 42207 checklistsApr 15-21: 27% of 42759 checklistsApr 22-30: 28% of 64458 checklistsMay 1-7: 27% of 60998 checklistsMay 8-14: 25% of 72091 checklistsMay 15-21: 24% of 59058 checklistsMay 22-31: 22% of 64724 checklistsJun 1-7: 21% of 35990 checklistsJun 8-14: 21% of 32595 checklistsJun 15-21: 20% of 30017 checklistsJun 22-30: 20% of 33988 checklistsJul 1-7: 19% of 28708 checklistsJul 8-14: 18% of 25175 checklistsJul 15-21: 18% of 24084 checklistsJul 22-31: 17% of 33522 checklistsAug 1-7: 16% of 25098 checklistsAug 8-14: 17% of 24353 checklistsAug 15-21: 18% of 25059 checklistsAug 22-31: 20% of 37489 checklistsSep 1-7: 22% of 28410 checklistsSep 8-14: 20% of 27887 checklistsSep 15-21: 20% of 26614 checklistsSep 22-30: 21% of 32557 checklistsOct 1-7: 20% of 25844 checklistsOct 8-14: 20% of 27741 checklistsOct 15-21: 16% of 24693 checklistsOct 22-31: 10% of 32460 checklistsNov 1-7: 5.0% of 23660 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.7% of 21542 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.6% of 19922 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.4% of 25069 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.3% of 18272 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.3% of 18961 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.3% of 24171 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.3% of 30908 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 Michigan 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 Michigan

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Ogemaw CountyBest late April · 132 checklists that week, 4,675 in all60%
  2. Huron CountyBest mid April · 59 checklists that week, 4,733 in all58%
  3. Hillsdale CountyBest early September · 153 checklists that week, 9,510 in all55%
  4. Lenawee CountyBest early April · 371 checklists that week, 11,588 in all55%
  5. Ionia CountyBest late April · 237 checklists that week, 5,509 in all53%
  6. Gratiot CountyBest the second week of April · 153 checklists that week, 5,892 in all50%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. West Lake PerserveWashtenaw County, best the second week of April · 20 checklists that week, 355 in all96%
  2. Lakeport State ParkSt. Clair County, best early April · 20 checklists that week, 380 in all95%
  3. Ives Road FenLenawee County, best early June · 21 checklists that week, 407 in all88%

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

Best time of day

In Michigan, the Turkey Vulture is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (19% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%12 am: too few checklists (712) to judge1 am: too few checklists (592) to judge2 am: too few checklists (532) to judge3 am: too few checklists (516) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1592) to judge5 am: too few checklists (6849) to judge6 am: 9.3% of 39298 checklists7 am: 10% of 120344 checklists8 am: 12% of 180109 checklists9 am: 17% of 171966 checklists10 am: 19% of 156332 checklists11 am: 19% of 134964 checklists12 pm: 19% of 120967 checklists1 pm: 18% of 113852 checklists2 pm: 18% of 110773 checklists3 pm: 17% of 105530 checklists4 pm: 16% of 100958 checklists5 pm: 17% of 80085 checklists6 pm: 15% of 62883 checklists7 pm: 9.4% of 44912 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (21062) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5920) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1629) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (775) 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
January0.3%0.3%0.2%0.3%
February0.4%0.5%0.7%2.4%
March5.1%11%17%22%
April27%29%27%28%
May27%25%24%22%
June21%21%20%20%
July19%18%18%17%
August16%17%18%20%
September22%20%20%21%
October20%20%16%10%
November5.0%1.7%0.6%0.4%
December0.3%0.3%0.3%0.3%

Neighboring states

  • Ohio: arrives the second week of February, 2 weeks earlier than Michigan
  • Indiana: year-round, peaks mid April
  • Illinois: arrives late January, 4 weeks earlier than Michigan
  • Wisconsin: arrives early March, 1 week later than Michigan

Common questions

When do Turkey Vultures arrive in Michigan?
Turkey Vultures reach Michigan in late February, are common by the second week of March, peak in mid April (28% of checklists), and most are gone by late October.
When do Turkey Vultures leave Michigan?
Most Turkey Vultures have left Michigan by late October, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of November.
When is the best time to see a Turkey Vulture in Michigan?
The Turkey Vulture is reported most often in mid April, on about 28% of Michigan checklists.
Where in Michigan are Turkey Vultures seen most often?
By county, Ogemaw County, Huron County, and Hillsdale County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Turkey Vulture (counties with at least 200 checklists).