WhenToBird

Cathartes aura · Cathartidae

When Do Turkey Vultures Arrive in Vermont?

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

Turkey Vultures reach Vermont in early March, are common by mid March, peak in the second week of April (17% of checklists), and most are gone by late October.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 1-7early March
Common byMar 15-21mid March
PeakApr 8-14the second week of April
Most gone byOct 22-31late October

Best: the second week of April. First arrivals early March; most are gone by late October. Peak: on about 17% of Vermont checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febrare
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 12234 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 8293 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 7885 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 10534 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 7212 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 8144 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.3% of 10480 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.0% of 7932 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.4% of 8192 checklistsMar 8-14: 6.4% of 9383 checklistsMar 15-21: 9.6% of 10620 checklistsMar 22-31: 14% of 16257 checklistsApr 1-7: 18% of 12568 checklistsApr 8-14: 17% of 14677 checklistsApr 15-21: 17% of 14106 checklistsApr 22-30: 16% of 19617 checklistsMay 1-7: 15% of 18143 checklistsMay 8-14: 16% of 19626 checklistsMay 15-21: 15% of 17779 checklistsMay 22-31: 15% of 20310 checklistsJun 1-7: 13% of 11493 checklistsJun 8-14: 14% of 10215 checklistsJun 15-21: 13% of 9951 checklistsJun 22-30: 12% of 11050 checklistsJul 1-7: 11% of 8690 checklistsJul 8-14: 11% of 7679 checklistsJul 15-21: 12% of 7687 checklistsJul 22-31: 11% of 10712 checklistsAug 1-7: 10% of 7703 checklistsAug 8-14: 12% of 7743 checklistsAug 15-21: 12% of 8314 checklistsAug 22-31: 14% of 12428 checklistsSep 1-7: 15% of 9526 checklistsSep 8-14: 14% of 8493 checklistsSep 15-21: 16% of 8283 checklistsSep 22-30: 16% of 10352 checklistsOct 1-7: 15% of 8802 checklistsOct 8-14: 16% of 9088 checklistsOct 15-21: 13% of 7739 checklistsOct 22-31: 6.6% of 10907 checklistsNov 1-7: 2.3% of 7868 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.8% of 7223 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.3% of 7224 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 8375 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 6580 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 6800 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 8334 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% of 10579 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 Vermont 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 Vermont

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Grand Isle CountyBest mid April · 183 checklists that week, 8,507 in all31%
  2. Chittenden CountyBest the second week of April · 3478 checklists that week, 109,477 in all24%
  3. Windham CountyBest late August · 879 checklists that week, 39,105 in all22%
  4. Addison CountyBest late September · 1527 checklists that week, 77,064 in all21%
  5. Rutland CountyBest the second week of April · 1084 checklists that week, 46,909 in all20%
  6. Franklin CountyBest the second week of August · 392 checklists that week, 25,284 in all20%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Helen W. Buckner Memorial Preserve at Bald MountainRutland County, best late April · 21 checklists that week, 714 in all86%
  2. Westminster Station (Newcomb Brook)Windham County, best early September · 20 checklists that week, 118 in all84%
  3. Lower Otter Creek Wildlife Management AreaAddison County, best the second week of June · 30 checklists that week, 1,322 in all80%
  4. South Hero Marsh Wildlife Management AreaGrand Isle County, best mid April · 32 checklists that week, 720 in all79%
  5. Westminster StationWindham County, best early September · 26 checklists that week, 202 in all77%

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

Best time of day

In Vermont, the Turkey Vulture is most often listed on checklists started between 4 and 6 pm (13% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (384) to judge1 am: too few checklists (418) to judge2 am: too few checklists (568) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1183) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3460) to judge5 am: 3.7% of 10340 checklists6 am: 6.0% of 30951 checklists7 am: 6.8% of 64150 checklists8 am: 9.1% of 70252 checklists9 am: 12% of 55280 checklists10 am: 13% of 47111 checklists11 am: 12% of 37615 checklists12 pm: 11% of 32195 checklists1 pm: 12% of 30185 checklists2 pm: 12% of 29679 checklists3 pm: 12% of 26483 checklists4 pm: 14% of 20110 checklists5 pm: 12% of 15993 checklists6 pm: 8.1% of 12110 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (8203) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (4425) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1829) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (597) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (309) 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%
February0.1%0.1%0.3%1.0%
March2.4%6.4%9.6%14%
April18%17%17%16%
May15%16%15%15%
June13%14%13%12%
July11%11%12%11%
August10%12%12%14%
September15%14%16%16%
October15%16%13%6.6%
November2.3%0.8%0.3%0.1%
December0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • New Hampshire: arrives late December, 9 weeks earlier than Vermont
  • Massachusetts: arrives the second week of February, 3 weeks earlier than Vermont
  • Connecticut: arrives the second week of September, 23 weeks earlier than Vermont
  • Rhode Island: arrives mid March, 2 weeks later than Vermont

Common questions

When do Turkey Vultures arrive in Vermont?
Turkey Vultures reach Vermont in early March, are common by mid March, peak in the second week of April (17% of checklists), and most are gone by late October.
When do Turkey Vultures leave Vermont?
Most Turkey Vultures have left Vermont by late October, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early November.
When is the best time to see a Turkey Vulture in Vermont?
The Turkey Vulture is reported most often in the second week of April, on about 17% of Vermont checklists.
Where in Vermont are Turkey Vultures seen most often?
By county, Grand Isle County, Chittenden County, and Windham County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Turkey Vulture (counties with at least 200 checklists).