WhenToBird

Cathartes aura · Cathartidae

When Do Turkey Vultures Arrive in Oklahoma?

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

Turkey Vultures are in Oklahoma all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from mid March, peak in the second week of April (37% of checklists), and fall back by mid July. In the quietest week (the second week of January) they are still on about 4.9% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMar 15-21mid March
PeakApr 8-14the second week of April
Fall back byJul 15-21mid July
FewestJan 8-14the second week of January

Best: the second week of April. Here all year; numbers build from mid March and fall back by mid July. Peak: on about 37% of Oklahoma checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 4.6% of 6087 checklistsJan 8-14: 4.9% of 4350 checklistsJan 15-21: 5.1% of 4381 checklistsJan 22-31: 5.3% of 6165 checklistsFeb 1-7: 7.1% of 4259 checklistsFeb 8-14: 4.7% of 4589 checklistsFeb 15-21: 6.5% of 7001 checklistsFeb 22-28: 10% of 4482 checklistsMar 1-7: 16% of 4724 checklistsMar 8-14: 19% of 4571 checklistsMar 15-21: 27% of 4393 checklistsMar 22-31: 32% of 7544 checklistsApr 1-7: 36% of 5967 checklistsApr 8-14: 39% of 6543 checklistsApr 15-21: 36% of 7366 checklistsApr 22-30: 33% of 10618 checklistsMay 1-7: 31% of 8835 checklistsMay 8-14: 31% of 8247 checklistsMay 15-21: 32% of 6081 checklistsMay 22-31: 28% of 7283 checklistsJun 1-7: 26% of 4256 checklistsJun 8-14: 28% of 3774 checklistsJun 15-21: 27% of 3541 checklistsJun 22-30: 26% of 4159 checklistsJul 1-7: 22% of 3209 checklistsJul 8-14: 23% of 2916 checklistsJul 15-21: 21% of 2861 checklistsJul 22-31: 20% of 4146 checklistsAug 1-7: 21% of 3043 checklistsAug 8-14: 21% of 2839 checklistsAug 15-21: 21% of 3014 checklistsAug 22-31: 27% of 4759 checklistsSep 1-7: 28% of 3861 checklistsSep 8-14: 31% of 3748 checklistsSep 15-21: 29% of 3569 checklistsSep 22-30: 33% of 4830 checklistsOct 1-7: 33% of 3809 checklistsOct 8-14: 33% of 4142 checklistsOct 15-21: 29% of 3705 checklistsOct 22-31: 20% of 4738 checklistsNov 1-7: 13% of 3823 checklistsNov 8-14: 11% of 3849 checklistsNov 15-21: 8.9% of 3722 checklistsNov 22-30: 9.7% of 4795 checklistsDec 1-7: 6.0% of 3324 checklistsDec 8-14: 7.7% of 3574 checklistsDec 15-21: 6.8% of 3884 checklistsDec 22-31: 6.3% of 5774 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 Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Blaine CountyBest the second week of September · 11 checklists that week, 732 in all81%
  2. Adair CountyBest late March · 16 checklists that week, 616 in all78%
  3. Atoka CountyBest mid December · 15 checklists that week, 381 in all76%
  4. Choctaw CountyBest mid November · 13 checklists that week, 844 in all75%
  5. Greer CountyBest late April · 19 checklists that week, 390 in all71%
  6. Kiowa CountyBest late May · 25 checklists that week, 354 in all69%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Upper Dog PondAlfalfa County, best early April · 25 checklists that week, 783 in all91%
  2. Red SloughMcCurtain County, best the second week of April · 23 checklists that week, 492 in all84%
  3. CLO LandsPayne County, best mid April · 22 checklists that week, 1,208 in all83%
  4. Edmond ParkOklahoma County, best the second week of October · 30 checklists that week, 792 in all78%
  5. Fort Supply LakeWoodward County, best mid April · 20 checklists that week, 410 in all76%

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

Best time of day

In Oklahoma, the Turkey Vulture is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (26% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (91) to judge1 am: too few checklists (65) to judge2 am: too few checklists (73) to judge3 am: too few checklists (73) to judge4 am: too few checklists (100) to judge5 am: too few checklists (647) to judge6 am: 16% of 8353 checklists7 am: 17% of 24509 checklists8 am: 21% of 27848 checklists9 am: 25% of 25316 checklists10 am: 25% of 21161 checklists11 am: 26% of 18730 checklists12 pm: 24% of 16097 checklists1 pm: 24% of 14028 checklists2 pm: 24% of 13599 checklists3 pm: 23% of 14228 checklists4 pm: 20% of 14597 checklists5 pm: 21% of 12125 checklists6 pm: 20% of 9337 checklists7 pm: 13% of 6944 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2403) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (459) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (226) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (141) 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
January4.6%4.9%5.1%5.3%
February7.1%4.7%6.5%10%
March16%19%27%32%
April36%39%36%33%
May31%31%32%28%
June26%28%27%26%
July22%23%21%20%
August21%21%21%27%
September28%31%29%33%
October33%33%29%20%
November13%11%8.9%9.7%
December6.0%7.7%6.8%6.3%

Neighboring states

  • Kansas: arrives the second week of March, 1 week earlier than Oklahoma
  • Arkansas: year-round, peaks late March
  • Missouri: year-round, peaks the second week of April
  • Nebraska: arrives mid March, in the same week than Oklahoma

Common questions

When do Turkey Vultures arrive in Oklahoma?
Turkey Vultures are in Oklahoma all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from mid March, peak in the second week of April (37% of checklists), and fall back by mid July. In the quietest week (the second week of January) they are still on about 4.9% of checklists.
When do Turkey Vultures leave Oklahoma?
Turkey Vultures never fully leave Oklahoma: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by mid July, but some are still reported in every week, about 4.9% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Turkey Vulture in Oklahoma?
The Turkey Vulture is reported most often in the second week of April, on about 37% of Oklahoma checklists.
Where in Oklahoma are Turkey Vultures seen most often?
By county, Blaine County, Adair County, and Atoka County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Turkey Vulture (counties with at least 200 checklists).