WhenToBird

Meleagris gallopavo · Phasianidae

When Do Wild Turkeys Arrive in California?

Adult male Wild Turkey
Photo: Dan Vickers, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Wild Turkeys reach California in early February, are common by mid February, peak in the second week of April (6.5% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of November.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 1-7early February
Common byFeb 15-21mid February
PeakApr 8-14the second week of April
Most gone byNov 8-14the second week of November

Best: the second week of April. First arrivals early February; most are gone by the second week of November. Peak: on about 6.5% of California checklists.

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

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 1.7% of 112336 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.5% of 85518 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.6% of 86488 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.7% of 116174 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.8% of 75171 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.0% of 84467 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.3% of 105683 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.4% of 83396 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.8% of 77470 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.7% of 75180 checklistsMar 15-21: 4.6% of 80770 checklistsMar 22-31: 5.8% of 114116 checklistsApr 1-7: 6.4% of 84057 checklistsApr 8-14: 6.7% of 83692 checklistsApr 15-21: 6.3% of 89242 checklistsApr 22-30: 5.9% of 114289 checklistsMay 1-7: 5.6% of 85728 checklistsMay 8-14: 5.2% of 91984 checklistsMay 15-21: 5.0% of 75478 checklistsMay 22-31: 4.5% of 106250 checklistsJun 1-7: 4.1% of 70051 checklistsJun 8-14: 3.6% of 67485 checklistsJun 15-21: 3.0% of 66269 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.9% of 79172 checklistsJul 1-7: 3.0% of 62877 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.7% of 60328 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.8% of 59705 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.7% of 83796 checklistsAug 1-7: 2.8% of 60215 checklistsAug 8-14: 2.8% of 60172 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.6% of 59877 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.8% of 89107 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.9% of 72000 checklistsSep 8-14: 3.0% of 71228 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.1% of 76808 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.8% of 100204 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.7% of 76571 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.7% of 80874 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.6% of 74581 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.6% of 97498 checklistsNov 1-7: 2.4% of 70851 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.1% of 72431 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.2% of 66767 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.9% of 94737 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.9% of 65393 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.9% of 67449 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.2% of 83421 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.9% of 124993 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 California 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 California

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Contra Costa CountyBest mid April · 2471 checklists that week, 115,071 in all32%
  2. Tuolumne CountyBest early April · 425 checklists that week, 21,159 in all28%
  3. Colusa CountyBest the second week of April · 143 checklists that week, 7,653 in all22%
  4. Amador CountyBest the second week of April · 92 checklists that week, 4,733 in all22%
  5. Nevada CountyBest the second week of April · 527 checklists that week, 25,896 in all21%
  6. Placer CountyBest the second week of April · 981 checklists that week, 43,945 in all21%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Filoli CenterSan Mateo County, best late September · 29 checklists that week, 1,516 in all95%
  2. Effie Yeaw Nature CenterSacramento County, best mid March · 70 checklists that week, 1,710 in all92%
  3. Rancho San Antonio Open Space PreserveSanta Clara County, best late April · 26 checklists that week, 408 in all88%
  4. American River Parkway (west)Sacramento County, best mid April · 28 checklists that week, 1,417 in all86%
  5. Joseph D. Grant ParkSanta Clara County, best mid April · 24 checklists that week, 391 in all86%

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

Best time of day

In California, the Wild Turkey is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (4.8% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (1688) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1451) to judge2 am: too few checklists (1402) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1743) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4647) to judge5 am: too few checklists (32158) to judge6 am: 5.5% of 186053 checklists7 am: 4.5% of 444086 checklists8 am: 4.1% of 535846 checklists9 am: 3.4% of 486061 checklists10 am: 2.7% of 411130 checklists11 am: 2.2% of 325798 checklists12 pm: 2.1% of 269132 checklists1 pm: 2.2% of 244762 checklists2 pm: 2.3% of 235420 checklists3 pm: 2.4% of 232365 checklists4 pm: 2.5% of 208688 checklists5 pm: 3.3% of 146104 checklists6 pm: 3.3% of 96867 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (50942) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (14803) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5561) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (3546) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (2092) 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%1.5%1.6%1.7%
February1.8%2.0%2.3%2.4%
March2.8%3.7%4.6%5.8%
April6.4%6.7%6.3%5.9%
May5.6%5.2%5.0%4.5%
June4.1%3.6%3.0%2.9%
July3.0%2.7%2.8%2.7%
August2.8%2.8%2.6%2.8%
September2.9%3.0%3.1%2.8%
October2.7%2.7%2.6%2.6%
November2.4%2.1%2.2%1.9%
December1.9%1.9%2.2%1.9%

Neighboring states

  • Nevada: arrives late February, 3 weeks later than California
  • Utah: year-round, peaks mid April
  • Arizona: arrives mid December, 6 weeks earlier than California
  • Oregon: arrives early February, in the same week than California

Common questions

When do Wild Turkeys arrive in California?
Wild Turkeys reach California in early February, are common by mid February, peak in the second week of April (6.5% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of November.
When do Wild Turkeys leave California?
Most Wild Turkeys have left California by the second week of November, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late December.
When is the best time to see a Wild Turkey in California?
The Wild Turkey is reported most often in the second week of April, on about 6.5% of California checklists.
Where in California are Wild Turkeys seen most often?
By county, Contra Costa County, Tuolumne County, and Colusa County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Wild Turkey (counties with at least 200 checklists).