WhenToBird

Cathartes aura · Cathartidae

When Do Turkey Vultures Arrive in New Jersey?

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

The Turkey Vulture is in New Jersey all year. It turns up on about 39% of checklists at its peak (the second week of April) and on 21% in its quietest week (late July).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekApr 8-14the second week of April
Quietest weekJul 22-31late July

Best: the second week of April. Here all year. Peak: on about 39% of New Jersey checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 23% of 28167 checklistsJan 8-14: 24% of 20583 checklistsJan 15-21: 22% of 19739 checklistsJan 22-31: 23% of 24586 checklistsFeb 1-7: 25% of 17226 checklistsFeb 8-14: 23% of 19567 checklistsFeb 15-21: 25% of 26553 checklistsFeb 22-28: 29% of 19046 checklistsMar 1-7: 33% of 17969 checklistsMar 8-14: 36% of 18976 checklistsMar 15-21: 37% of 18581 checklistsMar 22-31: 37% of 27590 checklistsApr 1-7: 38% of 21202 checklistsApr 8-14: 38% of 23609 checklistsApr 15-21: 39% of 25056 checklistsApr 22-30: 37% of 36679 checklistsMay 1-7: 32% of 38378 checklistsMay 8-14: 29% of 44071 checklistsMay 15-21: 30% of 34076 checklistsMay 22-31: 29% of 32558 checklistsJun 1-7: 27% of 18049 checklistsJun 8-14: 28% of 15597 checklistsJun 15-21: 26% of 14894 checklistsJun 22-30: 25% of 17187 checklistsJul 1-7: 23% of 13406 checklistsJul 8-14: 22% of 12550 checklistsJul 15-21: 21% of 12358 checklistsJul 22-31: 21% of 18382 checklistsAug 1-7: 21% of 13689 checklistsAug 8-14: 23% of 14006 checklistsAug 15-21: 24% of 14483 checklistsAug 22-31: 27% of 23182 checklistsSep 1-7: 29% of 17984 checklistsSep 8-14: 28% of 18320 checklistsSep 15-21: 32% of 20491 checklistsSep 22-30: 31% of 26176 checklistsOct 1-7: 32% of 24112 checklistsOct 8-14: 36% of 24603 checklistsOct 15-21: 39% of 24549 checklistsOct 22-31: 33% of 26206 checklistsNov 1-7: 34% of 17469 checklistsNov 8-14: 33% of 15102 checklistsNov 15-21: 33% of 14958 checklistsNov 22-30: 30% of 19447 checklistsDec 1-7: 27% of 14017 checklistsDec 8-14: 25% of 14625 checklistsDec 15-21: 26% of 16937 checklistsDec 22-31: 24% of 26651 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 New Jersey 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 New Jersey

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Salem CountyBest late March · 331 checklists that week, 9,658 in all63%
  2. Hunterdon CountyBest the second week of April · 1392 checklists that week, 57,610 in all56%
  3. Warren CountyBest mid October · 270 checklists that week, 20,077 in all51%
  4. Sussex CountyBest mid October · 462 checklists that week, 30,305 in all48%
  5. Mercer CountyBest the second week of April · 1181 checklists that week, 56,614 in all47%
  6. Burlington CountyBest the second week of April · 1171 checklists that week, 52,358 in all47%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Palisades ParkBergen County, best early April · 22 checklists that week, 2,765 in all95%
  2. Historic Smithville ParkBurlington County, best mid March · 21 checklists that week, 1,002 in all88%
  3. Washington Valley ParkSomerset County, best late October · 48 checklists that week, 1,255 in all87%

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

Best time of day

In New Jersey, the Turkey Vulture is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (39% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%40%12 am: too few checklists (746) to judge1 am: too few checklists (640) to judge2 am: too few checklists (606) to judge3 am: too few checklists (755) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1681) to judge5 am: too few checklists (11258) to judge6 am: 18% of 50447 checklists7 am: 23% of 118312 checklists8 am: 29% of 123273 checklists9 am: 36% of 107783 checklists10 am: 39% of 97537 checklists11 am: 38% of 82427 checklists12 pm: 37% of 72581 checklists1 pm: 36% of 71478 checklists2 pm: 33% of 69994 checklists3 pm: 28% of 66822 checklists4 pm: 24% of 55950 checklists5 pm: 19% of 41360 checklists6 pm: 13% of 28122 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (14727) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (4257) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1273) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (920) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (693) 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
January23%24%22%23%
February25%23%25%29%
March33%36%37%37%
April38%38%39%37%
May32%29%30%29%
June27%28%26%25%
July23%22%21%21%
August21%23%24%27%
September29%28%32%31%
October32%36%39%33%
November34%33%33%30%
December27%25%26%24%

Neighboring states

  • Delaware: year-round, peaks the second week of April
  • Connecticut: all year, most in fall, peaks the second week of October
  • Pennsylvania: year-round, peaks the second week of April
  • New York: year-round, peaks the second week of April

Common questions

When do Turkey Vultures arrive in New Jersey?
The Turkey Vulture is in New Jersey all year. It turns up on about 39% of checklists at its peak (the second week of April) and on 21% in its quietest week (late July).
When do Turkey Vultures leave New Jersey?
The Turkey Vulture does not leave New Jersey: it is reported all year, from 21% of checklists in late July to 39% in the second week of April.
When is the best time to see a Turkey Vulture in New Jersey?
The Turkey Vulture is reported most often in the second week of April, on about 39% of New Jersey checklists.
Where in New Jersey are Turkey Vultures seen most often?
By county, Salem County, Hunterdon County, and Warren County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Turkey Vulture (counties with at least 200 checklists).