WhenToBird

Meleagris gallopavo · Phasianidae

When Do Wild Turkeys Arrive in Iowa?

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

Wild Turkeys are in Iowa all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from early April, peak in the second week of May (7.3% of checklists), and fall back by early June. In the quietest week (mid January) they are still on about 2.6% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildApr 1-7early April
PeakMay 8-14the second week of May
Fall back byJun 1-7early June
FewestJan 15-21mid January

Best: the second week of May. Here all year; numbers build from early April and fall back by early June. Peak: on about 7.3% of Iowa checklists.

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

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 3.1% of 5551 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.9% of 3498 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.1% of 3803 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.7% of 4807 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.0% of 3613 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.4% of 4173 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.7% of 5796 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.3% of 4394 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.0% of 5295 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.2% of 5679 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.7% of 5418 checklistsMar 22-31: 4.3% of 8613 checklistsApr 1-7: 4.7% of 6970 checklistsApr 8-14: 6.3% of 7511 checklistsApr 15-21: 6.6% of 8321 checklistsApr 22-30: 7.1% of 11976 checklistsMay 1-7: 7.3% of 11725 checklistsMay 8-14: 7.3% of 12626 checklistsMay 15-21: 7.1% of 9372 checklistsMay 22-31: 6.3% of 10330 checklistsJun 1-7: 5.4% of 5472 checklistsJun 8-14: 4.2% of 4568 checklistsJun 15-21: 4.2% of 3870 checklistsJun 22-30: 4.4% of 4780 checklistsJul 1-7: 3.4% of 4201 checklistsJul 8-14: 4.4% of 3605 checklistsJul 15-21: 4.1% of 3621 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.7% of 5093 checklistsAug 1-7: 4.2% of 3931 checklistsAug 8-14: 4.0% of 3488 checklistsAug 15-21: 4.8% of 3802 checklistsAug 22-31: 4.1% of 6293 checklistsSep 1-7: 4.6% of 5328 checklistsSep 8-14: 5.1% of 4622 checklistsSep 15-21: 4.6% of 4367 checklistsSep 22-30: 3.8% of 6086 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.9% of 4708 checklistsOct 8-14: 4.4% of 4791 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.9% of 4429 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.5% of 5633 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.4% of 4090 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.7% of 3416 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.8% of 3398 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.7% of 4679 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.5% of 3442 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.8% of 3322 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.6% of 4619 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.5% of 5113 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 Iowa 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 Iowa

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Bremer CountyBest late July · 53 checklists that week, 3,421 in all49%
  2. Pottawattamie CountyBest late April · 211 checklists that week, 5,405 in all30%
  3. Plymouth CountyBest the second week of May · 29 checklists that week, 576 in all28%
  4. Monroe CountyBest the second week of May · 17 checklists that week, 257 in all28%
  5. Monona CountyBest late May · 49 checklists that week, 655 in all22%
  6. Appanoose CountyBest mid July · 10 checklists that week, 820 in all22%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Stone State Park (Mount Lucia)Woodbury County, best the second week of May · 22 checklists that week, 320 in all71%
  2. Kuehn Conservation AreaDallas County, best late May · 21 checklists that week, 219 in all51%
  3. Stone State ParkWoodbury County, best the second week of May · 22 checklists that week, 373 in all48%
  4. Eagle Point ParkDubuque County, best late September · 21 checklists that week, 380 in all47%
  5. Lake Manawa State ParkPottawattamie County, best late April · 30 checklists that week, 599 in all40%
  6. Squaw Creek ParkLinn County, best early May · 21 checklists that week, 665 in all31%

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

Best time of day

In Iowa, the Wild Turkey is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (9.1% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (96) to judge1 am: too few checklists (99) to judge2 am: too few checklists (67) to judge3 am: too few checklists (82) to judge4 am: too few checklists (201) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1888) to judge6 am: 11% of 11313 checklists7 am: 8.2% of 25717 checklists8 am: 5.2% of 29755 checklists9 am: 4.4% of 28897 checklists10 am: 3.4% of 26343 checklists11 am: 2.9% of 21210 checklists12 pm: 2.9% of 17662 checklists1 pm: 3.2% of 16595 checklists2 pm: 3.3% of 16405 checklists3 pm: 4.0% of 17030 checklists4 pm: 3.8% of 17378 checklists5 pm: 3.7% of 14251 checklists6 pm: 4.3% of 10349 checklists7 pm: 4.8% of 6233 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2002) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (392) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (186) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (87) 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
January3.1%2.9%2.1%2.7%
February3.0%3.4%3.7%3.3%
March3.0%3.2%3.7%4.3%
April4.7%6.3%6.6%7.1%
May7.3%7.3%7.1%6.3%
June5.4%4.2%4.2%4.4%
July3.4%4.4%4.1%3.7%
August4.2%4.0%4.8%4.1%
September4.6%5.1%4.6%3.8%
October3.9%4.4%3.9%3.5%
November3.4%3.7%2.8%2.7%
December2.5%2.8%3.6%3.5%

Neighboring states

  • Missouri: arrives the second week of February, 7 weeks earlier than Iowa
  • Wisconsin: year-round, peaks early May
  • Minnesota: arrives the second week of April, 1 week later than Iowa
  • Illinois: arrives the second week of December, 15 weeks earlier than Iowa

Common questions

When do Wild Turkeys arrive in Iowa?
Wild Turkeys are in Iowa all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from early April, peak in the second week of May (7.3% of checklists), and fall back by early June. In the quietest week (mid January) they are still on about 2.6% of checklists.
When do Wild Turkeys leave Iowa?
Wild Turkeys never fully leave Iowa: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by early June, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.6% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Wild Turkey in Iowa?
The Wild Turkey is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 7.3% of Iowa checklists.
Where in Iowa are Wild Turkeys seen most often?
By county, Bremer County, Pottawattamie County, and Plymouth County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Wild Turkey (counties with at least 200 checklists).