WhenToBird

Cathartes aura · Cathartidae

When Do Turkey Vultures Arrive in Ohio?

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

Turkey Vultures reach Ohio in the second week of February, are common by early March, peak in the second week of April (43% 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 43% of Ohio checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  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: 1.7% of 46637 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.7% of 31056 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.6% of 30129 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.9% of 38665 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.1% of 27203 checklistsFeb 8-14: 4.1% of 30626 checklistsFeb 15-21: 6.8% of 40705 checklistsFeb 22-28: 14% of 31391 checklistsMar 1-7: 22% of 32914 checklistsMar 8-14: 30% of 33973 checklistsMar 15-21: 36% of 33678 checklistsMar 22-31: 41% of 49889 checklistsApr 1-7: 43% of 41225 checklistsApr 8-14: 43% of 47174 checklistsApr 15-21: 43% of 47017 checklistsApr 22-30: 42% of 73055 checklistsMay 1-7: 34% of 80637 checklistsMay 8-14: 30% of 102552 checklistsMay 15-21: 31% of 64582 checklistsMay 22-31: 34% of 52766 checklistsJun 1-7: 33% of 29279 checklistsJun 8-14: 33% of 25773 checklistsJun 15-21: 31% of 23163 checklistsJun 22-30: 31% of 27794 checklistsJul 1-7: 28% of 23334 checklistsJul 8-14: 29% of 22147 checklistsJul 15-21: 27% of 20998 checklistsJul 22-31: 28% of 29749 checklistsAug 1-7: 29% of 22899 checklistsAug 8-14: 30% of 21972 checklistsAug 15-21: 31% of 22215 checklistsAug 22-31: 32% of 35087 checklistsSep 1-7: 35% of 29148 checklistsSep 8-14: 34% of 28042 checklistsSep 15-21: 34% of 26751 checklistsSep 22-30: 35% of 32398 checklistsOct 1-7: 36% of 26209 checklistsOct 8-14: 39% of 26809 checklistsOct 15-21: 36% of 23504 checklistsOct 22-31: 29% of 33269 checklistsNov 1-7: 22% of 25563 checklistsNov 8-14: 13% of 23810 checklistsNov 15-21: 6.6% of 22127 checklistsNov 22-30: 4.0% of 29449 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.5% of 22370 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.3% of 21581 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.7% of 24232 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.9% of 36084 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 Ohio 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 Ohio

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Shelby CountyBest the second week of October · 28 checklists that week, 1,659 in all80%
  2. Hardin CountyBest late April · 210 checklists that week, 4,583 in all70%
  3. Huron CountyBest mid August · 24 checklists that week, 3,141 in all68%
  4. Pickaway CountyBest the second week of October · 104 checklists that week, 6,348 in all67%
  5. Paulding CountyBest mid April · 34 checklists that week, 1,653 in all66%
  6. Coshocton CountyBest mid March · 61 checklists that week, 2,932 in all66%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lawrence Woods Dedicated Nature PreserveHardin County, best mid April · 35 checklists that week, 523 in all99%
  2. BrecksvilleCuyahoga County, best early January · 23 checklists that week, 105 in all97%
  3. Conneaut HarborAshtabula County, best mid September · 39 checklists that week, 1,284 in all96%
  4. Chippewa Lake Nature AreasMedina County, best the second week of October · 21 checklists that week, 462 in all94%
  5. Hoover Reservoir Park (south 2)Delaware County, best the second week of April · 23 checklists that week, 1,072 in all93%
  6. Carlisle ReservationLorain County, best the second week of April · 25 checklists that week, 613 in all92%

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

Best time of day

In Ohio, the Turkey Vulture is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (30% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%40%12 am: too few checklists (574) to judge1 am: too few checklists (609) to judge2 am: too few checklists (466) to judge3 am: too few checklists (478) to judge4 am: too few checklists (662) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4366) to judge6 am: 16% of 43093 checklists7 am: 19% of 142017 checklists8 am: 22% of 205296 checklists9 am: 27% of 196322 checklists10 am: 30% of 170882 checklists11 am: 30% of 144567 checklists12 pm: 30% of 126551 checklists1 pm: 29% of 117855 checklists2 pm: 28% of 112869 checklists3 pm: 27% of 109786 checklists4 pm: 27% of 103116 checklists5 pm: 27% of 78409 checklists6 pm: 23% of 56785 checklists7 pm: 14% of 37923 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (14954) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2710) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (854) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (486) 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
January1.7%1.7%1.6%1.9%
February3.1%4.1%6.8%14%
March22%30%36%41%
April43%43%43%42%
May34%30%31%34%
June33%33%31%31%
July28%29%27%28%
August29%30%31%32%
September35%34%34%35%
October36%39%36%29%
November22%13%6.6%4.0%
December2.5%2.3%1.7%1.9%

Neighboring states

  • West Virginia: year-round, peaks the second week of April
  • Indiana: year-round, peaks mid April
  • Michigan: arrives late February, 2 weeks later than Ohio
  • Kentucky: year-round, peaks early April

Common questions

When do Turkey Vultures arrive in Ohio?
Turkey Vultures reach Ohio in the second week of February, are common by early March, peak in the second week of April (43% of checklists), and most are gone by early November.
When do Turkey Vultures leave Ohio?
Most Turkey Vultures have left Ohio by early November, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late November.
When is the best time to see a Turkey Vulture in Ohio?
The Turkey Vulture is reported most often in the second week of April, on about 43% of Ohio checklists.
Where in Ohio are Turkey Vultures seen most often?
By county, Shelby County, Hardin County, and Huron County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Turkey Vulture (counties with at least 200 checklists).