WhenToBird

Cathartes aura · Cathartidae

When Do Turkey Vultures Arrive in Missouri?

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

The Turkey Vulture is in Missouri all year. It turns up on about 43% of checklists at its peak (the second week of April) and on 4.2% in its quietest week (the second week of January).

When to look

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

Best: the second week of April. Here all year. Peak: on about 43% of Missouri 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%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 4.4% of 12628 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.7% of 9076 checklistsJan 15-21: 4.6% of 8790 checklistsJan 22-31: 5.3% of 11986 checklistsFeb 1-7: 7.3% of 8987 checklistsFeb 8-14: 6.3% of 10394 checklistsFeb 15-21: 8.7% of 15472 checklistsFeb 22-28: 14% of 9917 checklistsMar 1-7: 20% of 9877 checklistsMar 8-14: 24% of 9570 checklistsMar 15-21: 33% of 10274 checklistsMar 22-31: 40% of 16156 checklistsApr 1-7: 43% of 12774 checklistsApr 8-14: 44% of 14048 checklistsApr 15-21: 42% of 14894 checklistsApr 22-30: 39% of 23288 checklistsMay 1-7: 36% of 22645 checklistsMay 8-14: 34% of 21384 checklistsMay 15-21: 33% of 13989 checklistsMay 22-31: 32% of 15784 checklistsJun 1-7: 28% of 9691 checklistsJun 8-14: 30% of 9036 checklistsJun 15-21: 29% of 7907 checklistsJun 22-30: 28% of 9831 checklistsJul 1-7: 27% of 8008 checklistsJul 8-14: 27% of 7202 checklistsJul 15-21: 25% of 7151 checklistsJul 22-31: 25% of 9833 checklistsAug 1-7: 27% of 7639 checklistsAug 8-14: 26% of 7507 checklistsAug 15-21: 29% of 7429 checklistsAug 22-31: 29% of 11182 checklistsSep 1-7: 33% of 9471 checklistsSep 8-14: 31% of 8501 checklistsSep 15-21: 32% of 8169 checklistsSep 22-30: 35% of 11572 checklistsOct 1-7: 35% of 9028 checklistsOct 8-14: 35% of 9413 checklistsOct 15-21: 33% of 8656 checklistsOct 22-31: 23% of 11625 checklistsNov 1-7: 16% of 8627 checklistsNov 8-14: 13% of 8284 checklistsNov 15-21: 9.1% of 8075 checklistsNov 22-30: 6.7% of 10430 checklistsDec 1-7: 5.0% of 7870 checklistsDec 8-14: 5.2% of 7567 checklistsDec 15-21: 7.1% of 9696 checklistsDec 22-31: 5.8% of 13142 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 Missouri 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Missouri

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Miller CountyBest early October · 21 checklists that week, 1,190 in all93%
  2. McDonald CountyBest late March · 18 checklists that week, 336 in all88%
  3. Oregon CountyBest late March · 49 checklists that week, 1,145 in all85%
  4. Grundy CountyBest late April · 11 checklists that week, 229 in all84%
  5. Polk CountyBest the second week of September · 21 checklists that week, 1,429 in all84%
  6. Randolph CountyBest early August · 14 checklists that week, 838 in all83%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Blue Springs LakeJackson County, best mid July · 20 checklists that week, 1,541 in all98%
  2. Providence AccessBoone County, best late April · 22 checklists that week, 112 in all96%
  3. Saline Valley Conservation AreaMiller County, best the second week of April · 21 checklists that week, 357 in all93%
  4. Eagle Bluffs Conservation AreaBoone County, best late September · 42 checklists that week, 1,684 in all93%

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

Best time of day

In Missouri, the Turkey Vulture is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (31% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%40%12 am: too few checklists (205) to judge1 am: too few checklists (179) to judge2 am: too few checklists (204) to judge3 am: too few checklists (216) to judge4 am: too few checklists (630) to judge5 am: too few checklists (5072) to judge6 am: 15% of 27231 checklists7 am: 17% of 64162 checklists8 am: 23% of 67854 checklists9 am: 29% of 56515 checklists10 am: 31% of 47496 checklists11 am: 31% of 38845 checklists12 pm: 29% of 33383 checklists1 pm: 30% of 32503 checklists2 pm: 29% of 32615 checklists3 pm: 27% of 32514 checklists4 pm: 26% of 30274 checklists5 pm: 26% of 23446 checklists6 pm: 21% of 16374 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (10236) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (3133) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (722) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (405) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (261) 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
January4.4%3.7%4.6%5.3%
February7.3%6.3%8.7%14%
March20%24%33%40%
April43%44%42%39%
May36%34%33%32%
June28%30%29%28%
July27%27%25%25%
August27%26%29%29%
September33%31%32%35%
October35%35%33%23%
November16%13%9.1%6.7%
December5.0%5.2%7.1%5.8%

Neighboring states

  • Arkansas: year-round, peaks late March
  • Iowa: summer visitor, peaks mid April
  • Kansas: summer visitor, peaks mid April
  • Illinois: summer visitor, peaks the second week of April

Common questions

When do Turkey Vultures arrive in Missouri?
The Turkey Vulture is in Missouri all year. It turns up on about 43% of checklists at its peak (the second week of April) and on 4.2% in its quietest week (the second week of January).
When do Turkey Vultures leave Missouri?
The Turkey Vulture does not leave Missouri: it is reported all year, from 4.2% of checklists in the second week of January to 43% in the second week of April.
When is the best time to see a Turkey Vulture in Missouri?
The Turkey Vulture is reported most often in the second week of April, on about 43% of Missouri checklists.
Where in Missouri are Turkey Vultures seen most often?
By county, Miller County, McDonald County, and Oregon County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Turkey Vulture (counties with at least 200 checklists).