WhenToBird

Cathartes aura · Cathartidae

When Do Turkey Vultures Arrive in Wisconsin?

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

Turkey Vultures reach Wisconsin in early March, are common by mid March, peak in late April (20% of checklists), and most are gone by mid October.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 1-7early March
Common byMar 15-21mid March
PeakApr 22-30late April
Most gone byOct 15-21mid October

Best: late April. First arrivals early March; most are gone by mid October. Peak: on about 20% of Wisconsin checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febrare
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novrare
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 27925 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 18337 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 17370 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 23777 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 16656 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 18286 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 24739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.6% of 20113 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.2% of 24024 checklistsMar 8-14: 4.7% of 26722 checklistsMar 15-21: 8.1% of 27238 checklistsMar 22-31: 12% of 40171 checklistsApr 1-7: 18% of 34961 checklistsApr 8-14: 20% of 39128 checklistsApr 15-21: 20% of 38887 checklistsApr 22-30: 20% of 57231 checklistsMay 1-7: 20% of 55115 checklistsMay 8-14: 19% of 63098 checklistsMay 15-21: 18% of 49821 checklistsMay 22-31: 17% of 56796 checklistsJun 1-7: 15% of 33621 checklistsJun 8-14: 14% of 31282 checklistsJun 15-21: 13% of 30186 checklistsJun 22-30: 13% of 35128 checklistsJul 1-7: 14% of 27088 checklistsJul 8-14: 14% of 23293 checklistsJul 15-21: 14% of 20933 checklistsJul 22-31: 13% of 27595 checklistsAug 1-7: 12% of 19147 checklistsAug 8-14: 12% of 18286 checklistsAug 15-21: 13% of 19195 checklistsAug 22-31: 14% of 28229 checklistsSep 1-7: 16% of 22408 checklistsSep 8-14: 14% of 20857 checklistsSep 15-21: 15% of 20707 checklistsSep 22-30: 15% of 26469 checklistsOct 1-7: 15% of 21069 checklistsOct 8-14: 14% of 21011 checklistsOct 15-21: 9.3% of 20006 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.2% of 26362 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.8% of 18928 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.4% of 17052 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 16291 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 20564 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 15354 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 16294 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 21430 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% of 26314 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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Pepin CountyBest late September · 12 checklists that week, 929 in all67%
  2. Lafayette CountyBest the second week of October · 19 checklists that week, 1,911 in all59%
  3. Crawford CountyBest mid August · 46 checklists that week, 4,271 in all51%
  4. Green CountyBest early October · 31 checklists that week, 4,387 in all50%
  5. Calumet CountyBest the second week of May · 959 checklists that week, 12,359 in all44%
  6. Vernon CountyBest mid April · 338 checklists that week, 13,255 in all42%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. High Cliff State Park (south)Calumet County, best late April · 42 checklists that week, 892 in all87%
  2. Yellowstone Lake State ParkLafayette County, best early May · 28 checklists that week, 363 in all85%
  3. C.D. (Buzz) Besadny Fish and Wildlife AreaKewaunee County, best early May · 27 checklists that week, 552 in all83%
  4. Devils LakeSauk County, best late September · 22 checklists that week, 1,039 in all82%
  5. Retzer Nature CenterWaukesha County, best mid April · 56 checklists that week, 1,678 in all81%

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

Best time of day

In Wisconsin, the Turkey Vulture is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (14% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (993) to judge1 am: too few checklists (844) to judge2 am: too few checklists (839) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1488) to judge4 am: too few checklists (5344) to judge5 am: 5.2% of 27016 checklists6 am: 7.6% of 83973 checklists7 am: 8.9% of 160717 checklists8 am: 11% of 160531 checklists9 am: 13% of 136968 checklists10 am: 14% of 119110 checklists11 am: 14% of 99116 checklists12 pm: 13% of 85078 checklists1 pm: 13% of 80688 checklists2 pm: 13% of 79140 checklists3 pm: 12% of 78599 checklists4 pm: 12% of 69767 checklists5 pm: 12% of 53229 checklists6 pm: 8.6% of 38769 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24396) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (10155) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4990) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2463) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1281) 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%0.1%0.6%
March2.2%4.7%8.1%12%
April18%20%20%20%
May20%19%18%17%
June15%14%13%13%
July14%14%14%13%
August12%12%13%14%
September16%14%15%15%
October15%14%9.3%3.2%
November0.8%0.4%0.1%0.1%
December0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • Illinois: arrives late January, 5 weeks earlier than Wisconsin
  • Iowa: arrives the second week of March, 1 week later than Wisconsin
  • Michigan: arrives late February, 1 week earlier than Wisconsin
  • Minnesota: arrives mid March, 2 weeks later than Wisconsin

Common questions

When do Turkey Vultures arrive in Wisconsin?
Turkey Vultures reach Wisconsin in early March, are common by mid March, peak in late April (20% of checklists), and most are gone by mid October.
When do Turkey Vultures leave Wisconsin?
Most Turkey Vultures have left Wisconsin by mid 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 Wisconsin?
The Turkey Vulture is reported most often in late April, on about 20% of Wisconsin checklists.
Where in Wisconsin are Turkey Vultures seen most often?
By county, Pepin County, Lafayette County, and Crawford County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Turkey Vulture (counties with at least 200 checklists).