WhenToBird

Meleagris gallopavo · Phasianidae

When Do Wild Turkeys Arrive in Colorado?

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

The Wild Turkey is in Colorado all year. It turns up on about 3.4% of checklists at its peak (the second week of May) and on 1.6% in its quietest week (late January).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekMay 8-14the second week of May
Quietest weekJan 22-31late January

Best: the second week of May. Here all year. Peak: on about 3.4% of Colorado checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 1.8% of 32254 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.8% of 23278 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.5% of 22933 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.7% of 30856 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.7% of 21464 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.6% of 22910 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.9% of 28739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.6% of 21833 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.0% of 23066 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.8% of 23783 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.0% of 24797 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.1% of 38439 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.5% of 31676 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.8% of 35092 checklistsApr 15-21: 3.0% of 36778 checklistsApr 22-30: 3.2% of 50885 checklistsMay 1-7: 3.3% of 44186 checklistsMay 8-14: 3.5% of 49011 checklistsMay 15-21: 3.5% of 40784 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.9% of 53073 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.5% of 32432 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.4% of 29978 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.0% of 29457 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.8% of 36072 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.7% of 28857 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.8% of 27224 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.1% of 27629 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.0% of 37318 checklistsAug 1-7: 2.1% of 25893 checklistsAug 8-14: 2.4% of 24870 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.1% of 24035 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.3% of 35691 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.5% of 27068 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.6% of 26709 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.3% of 26098 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.7% of 31550 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.3% of 24110 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.7% of 23352 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.1% of 21895 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.1% of 28319 checklistsNov 1-7: 2.0% of 21698 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.9% of 21061 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.1% of 19855 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.0% of 25798 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.0% of 18626 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.2% of 19004 checklistsDec 15-21: 2.2% of 23103 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.7% of 30802 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 Colorado 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 Colorado

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Las Animas CountyBest the second week of April · 66 checklists that week, 3,491 in all20%
  2. Yuma CountyBest the second week of May · 121 checklists that week, 3,844 in all20%
  3. Morgan CountyBest late October · 74 checklists that week, 5,181 in all19%
  4. Baca CountyBest mid December · 34 checklists that week, 3,209 in all17%
  5. Cheyenne CountyBest early March · 17 checklists that week, 1,388 in all16%
  6. Bent CountyBest late September · 103 checklists that week, 5,275 in all14%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hall RanchBoulder County, best the second week of April · 72 checklists that week, 3,268 in all80%
  2. CollinsWeld County, best mid April · 24 checklists that week, 990 in all62%
  3. AllensparkBoulder County, best mid February · 21 checklists that week, 466 in all60%
  4. Castlewood Canyon State Park (northwest)Douglas County, best late May · 23 checklists that week, 358 in all59%
  5. Heil Valley RanchBoulder County, best mid August · 21 checklists that week, 554 in all58%
  6. Lehouillier Open Space Project (Adams Open Space Property)El Paso County, best early June · 20 checklists that week, 636 in all58%

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

Best time of day

In Colorado, the Wild Turkey is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (3.7% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%12 am: too few checklists (512) to judge1 am: too few checklists (468) to judge2 am: too few checklists (513) to judge3 am: too few checklists (656) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1918) to judge5 am: too few checklists (16045) to judge6 am: 3.4% of 71991 checklists7 am: 3.8% of 159189 checklists8 am: 3.0% of 177206 checklists9 am: 2.2% of 165269 checklists10 am: 1.9% of 141029 checklists11 am: 1.7% of 115283 checklists12 pm: 1.5% of 96068 checklists1 pm: 1.7% of 89512 checklists2 pm: 1.8% of 86319 checklists3 pm: 1.8% of 82496 checklists4 pm: 1.9% of 71648 checklists5 pm: 2.2% of 52445 checklists6 pm: 2.2% of 40199 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24246) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (7986) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2004) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (888) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (450) 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
January1.8%1.8%1.5%1.7%
February1.7%1.6%1.9%1.6%
March2.0%1.8%2.0%2.1%
April2.5%2.8%3.0%3.2%
May3.3%3.5%3.5%2.9%
June2.5%2.4%2.0%1.8%
July1.7%1.8%2.1%2.0%
August2.1%2.4%2.1%2.3%
September2.5%2.6%2.3%2.7%
October3.3%2.7%2.1%2.1%
November2.0%1.9%2.1%2.0%
December2.0%2.2%2.2%1.7%

Neighboring states

  • Wyoming: winter visitor, peaks late December
  • New Mexico: summer visitor, peaks late April
  • Utah: year-round, peaks mid April
  • Nebraska: summer visitor, peaks early May

Common questions

When do Wild Turkeys arrive in Colorado?
The Wild Turkey is in Colorado all year. It turns up on about 3.4% of checklists at its peak (the second week of May) and on 1.6% in its quietest week (late January).
When do Wild Turkeys leave Colorado?
The Wild Turkey does not leave Colorado: it is reported all year, from 1.6% of checklists in late January to 3.4% in the second week of May.
When is the best time to see a Wild Turkey in Colorado?
The Wild Turkey is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 3.4% of Colorado checklists.
Where in Colorado are Wild Turkeys seen most often?
By county, Las Animas County, Yuma County, and Morgan County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Wild Turkey (counties with at least 200 checklists).