WhenToBird

Cathartes aura · Cathartidae

When Do Turkey Vultures Arrive in New Mexico?

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

Turkey Vultures reach New Mexico in the second week of March, are common by mid March, peak in the second week of September (26% of checklists), and most are gone by early October.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 8-14the second week of March
Common byMar 15-21mid March
PeakSep 8-14the second week of September
Most gone byOct 1-7early October

Best: the second week of September. First arrivals the second week of March; most are gone by early October. Peak: on about 26% of New Mexico checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 11827 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 9370 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 9561 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 12707 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.2% of 9365 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 10141 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 12431 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 9159 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.6% of 9348 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.5% of 9704 checklistsMar 15-21: 8.4% of 9896 checklistsMar 22-31: 19% of 14679 checklistsApr 1-7: 23% of 11145 checklistsApr 8-14: 24% of 11939 checklistsApr 15-21: 24% of 12885 checklistsApr 22-30: 24% of 17935 checklistsMay 1-7: 24% of 15202 checklistsMay 8-14: 24% of 16604 checklistsMay 15-21: 23% of 12720 checklistsMay 22-31: 24% of 16699 checklistsJun 1-7: 20% of 9889 checklistsJun 8-14: 21% of 9322 checklistsJun 15-21: 23% of 8341 checklistsJun 22-30: 21% of 10562 checklistsJul 1-7: 21% of 9036 checklistsJul 8-14: 20% of 8461 checklistsJul 15-21: 20% of 8585 checklistsJul 22-31: 21% of 11800 checklistsAug 1-7: 20% of 8289 checklistsAug 8-14: 22% of 8882 checklistsAug 15-21: 23% of 9136 checklistsAug 22-31: 24% of 12662 checklistsSep 1-7: 27% of 9936 checklistsSep 8-14: 26% of 9581 checklistsSep 15-21: 26% of 9355 checklistsSep 22-30: 25% of 12402 checklistsOct 1-7: 19% of 9467 checklistsOct 8-14: 9.2% of 10279 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.5% of 8990 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.3% of 11986 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.2% of 8461 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 8801 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 8616 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 11088 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 8444 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 8575 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 10958 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% of 14523 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 Mexico 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 Mexico

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. De Baca CountyBest mid September · 98 checklists that week, 2,203 in all74%
  2. Sierra CountyBest early April · 283 checklists that week, 13,458 in all58%
  3. Union CountyBest mid September · 40 checklists that week, 2,373 in all58%
  4. Guadalupe CountyBest late April · 61 checklists that week, 2,614 in all58%
  5. Eddy CountyBest late April · 519 checklists that week, 11,011 in all57%
  6. Grant CountyBest the second week of September · 197 checklists that week, 16,662 in all49%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Sumner Lake State Park (south)De Baca County, best mid May · 24 checklists that week, 347 in all98%
  2. HillsboroSierra County, best mid August · 27 checklists that week, 1,041 in all95%
  3. Lake RobertsGrant County, best mid May · 20 checklists that week, 669 in all92%
  4. Carlsbad Caverns National ParkEddy County, best late August · 33 checklists that week, 2,740 in all92%
  5. Quemado LakeCatron County, best the second week of September · 22 checklists that week, 527 in all88%
  6. San Vicente ArroyoGrant County, best the second week of September · 35 checklists that week, 1,235 in all87%

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

Best time of day

In New Mexico, the Turkey Vulture is most often listed on checklists started between 8 and 10 am (16% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%12 am: too few checklists (186) to judge1 am: too few checklists (180) to judge2 am: too few checklists (172) to judge3 am: too few checklists (183) to judge4 am: too few checklists (527) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4013) to judge6 am: 13% of 29677 checklists7 am: 12% of 71785 checklists8 am: 16% of 79208 checklists9 am: 16% of 61605 checklists10 am: 15% of 49588 checklists11 am: 13% of 38079 checklists12 pm: 13% of 31089 checklists1 pm: 12% of 27524 checklists2 pm: 12% of 26644 checklists3 pm: 11% of 26849 checklists4 pm: 13% of 25156 checklists5 pm: 16% of 19061 checklists6 pm: 14% of 15112 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (9040) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (2738) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (736) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (384) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (208) 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
January0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
February0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%
March0.6%2.5%8.4%19%
April23%24%24%24%
May24%24%23%24%
June20%21%23%21%
July21%20%20%21%
August20%22%23%24%
September27%26%26%25%
October19%9.2%2.5%0.3%
November0.2%0.1%0.1%0.1%
December0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • Arizona: arrives mid March, 1 week later than New Mexico
  • Colorado: arrives mid March, 1 week later than New Mexico
  • Utah: arrives the second week of March, in the same week than New Mexico
  • Oklahoma: arrives mid March, 1 week later than New Mexico

Common questions

When do Turkey Vultures arrive in New Mexico?
Turkey Vultures reach New Mexico in the second week of March, are common by mid March, peak in the second week of September (26% of checklists), and most are gone by early October.
When do Turkey Vultures leave New Mexico?
Most Turkey Vultures have left New Mexico by early October, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid October.
When is the best time to see a Turkey Vulture in New Mexico?
The Turkey Vulture is reported most often in the second week of September, on about 26% of New Mexico checklists.
Where in New Mexico are Turkey Vultures seen most often?
By county, De Baca County, Sierra County, and Union County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Turkey Vulture (counties with at least 200 checklists).