WhenToBird

Meleagris gallopavo · Phasianidae

When Do Wild Turkeys Arrive in Maine?

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

Wild Turkeys are in Maine all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from early April, peak in late April (8.9% of checklists), and fall back by late May. In the quietest week (late January) they are still on about 3.2% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildApr 1-7early April
PeakApr 22-30late April
Fall back byMay 22-31late May
FewestJan 22-31late January

Best: late April. Here all year; numbers build from early April and fall back by late May. Peak: on about 8.9% of Maine checklists.

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

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 3.7% of 15499 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.5% of 11141 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.0% of 10729 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.0% of 15084 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.5% of 9403 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.3% of 11268 checklistsFeb 15-21: 4.2% of 14061 checklistsFeb 22-28: 4.5% of 9977 checklistsMar 1-7: 4.2% of 9649 checklistsMar 8-14: 4.4% of 11781 checklistsMar 15-21: 4.8% of 11613 checklistsMar 22-31: 6.1% of 17798 checklistsApr 1-7: 6.3% of 14638 checklistsApr 8-14: 7.7% of 16511 checklistsApr 15-21: 9.1% of 17164 checklistsApr 22-30: 9.6% of 22602 checklistsMay 1-7: 8.2% of 22556 checklistsMay 8-14: 7.6% of 27842 checklistsMay 15-21: 6.9% of 27748 checklistsMay 22-31: 6.0% of 38715 checklistsJun 1-7: 5.3% of 26916 checklistsJun 8-14: 4.2% of 23737 checklistsJun 15-21: 3.8% of 22733 checklistsJun 22-30: 3.6% of 28248 checklistsJul 1-7: 3.4% of 20290 checklistsJul 8-14: 3.7% of 18534 checklistsJul 15-21: 3.7% of 17319 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.9% of 22815 checklistsAug 1-7: 3.9% of 15004 checklistsAug 8-14: 3.9% of 14603 checklistsAug 15-21: 4.1% of 14972 checklistsAug 22-31: 4.7% of 19813 checklistsSep 1-7: 5.0% of 14567 checklistsSep 8-14: 5.2% of 14520 checklistsSep 15-21: 4.9% of 14339 checklistsSep 22-30: 5.2% of 16879 checklistsOct 1-7: 5.7% of 12959 checklistsOct 8-14: 5.7% of 13168 checklistsOct 15-21: 5.0% of 11184 checklistsOct 22-31: 5.3% of 13717 checklistsNov 1-7: 4.2% of 9823 checklistsNov 8-14: 4.7% of 9007 checklistsNov 15-21: 4.9% of 8528 checklistsNov 22-30: 4.4% of 10228 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.9% of 7505 checklistsDec 8-14: 5.3% of 7982 checklistsDec 15-21: 4.8% of 10455 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.9% of 14285 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 Maine 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 Maine

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lincoln CountyBest the second week of April · 1034 checklists that week, 59,429 in all16%
  2. Knox CountyBest mid April · 642 checklists that week, 34,453 in all13%
  3. Sagadahoc CountyBest mid April · 486 checklists that week, 21,736 in all12%
  4. York CountyBest early May · 3100 checklists that week, 101,844 in all11%
  5. Piscataquis CountyBest early December · 61 checklists that week, 14,837 in all11%
  6. Washington CountyBest late November · 221 checklists that week, 35,967 in all9.7%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Gisland Farm Audubon CenterCumberland County, best early September · 80 checklists that week, 4,957 in all75%
  2. Mackerel CoveCumberland County, best early May · 23 checklists that week, 580 in all56%
  3. Parsons BeachYork County, best early May · 23 checklists that week, 1,272 in all50%
  4. Wells National Estuarine Research ReserveYork County, best early May · 123 checklists that week, 4,555 in all49%
  5. Fishermans CoveCumberland County, best early September · 42 checklists that week, 940 in all48%

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

Best time of day

In Maine, the Wild Turkey is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 am (9.1% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (510) to judge1 am: too few checklists (517) to judge2 am: too few checklists (581) to judge3 am: too few checklists (3242) to judge4 am: too few checklists (7221) to judge5 am: 11% of 19895 checklists6 am: 8.5% of 54578 checklists7 am: 8.1% of 92775 checklists8 am: 6.1% of 86962 checklists9 am: 4.8% of 78989 checklists10 am: 3.9% of 70954 checklists11 am: 3.4% of 59331 checklists12 pm: 3.4% of 50943 checklists1 pm: 3.6% of 49775 checklists2 pm: 3.6% of 49001 checklists3 pm: 3.9% of 43252 checklists4 pm: 4.4% of 33413 checklists5 pm: 4.6% of 25547 checklists6 pm: 4.3% of 18309 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (14287) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (5336) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2253) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1518) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (720) 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
January3.7%3.5%3.0%3.0%
February3.5%3.3%4.2%4.5%
March4.2%4.4%4.8%6.1%
April6.3%7.7%9.1%9.6%
May8.2%7.6%6.9%6.0%
June5.3%4.2%3.8%3.6%
July3.4%3.7%3.7%3.9%
August3.9%3.9%4.1%4.7%
September5.0%5.2%4.9%5.2%
October5.7%5.7%5.0%5.3%
November4.2%4.7%4.9%4.4%
December4.9%5.3%4.8%4.9%

Neighboring states

  • New Hampshire: arrives early April, in the same week than Maine
  • Massachusetts: arrives the second week of February, 7 weeks earlier than Maine
  • Vermont: arrives early April, in the same week than Maine
  • Rhode Island: arrives the second week of February, 7 weeks earlier than Maine

Common questions

When do Wild Turkeys arrive in Maine?
Wild Turkeys are in Maine all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from early April, peak in late April (8.9% of checklists), and fall back by late May. In the quietest week (late January) they are still on about 3.2% of checklists.
When do Wild Turkeys leave Maine?
Wild Turkeys never fully leave Maine: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by late May, but some are still reported in every week, about 3.2% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Wild Turkey in Maine?
The Wild Turkey is reported most often in late April, on about 8.9% of Maine checklists.
Where in Maine are Wild Turkeys seen most often?
By county, Lincoln County, Knox County, and Sagadahoc County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Wild Turkey (counties with at least 200 checklists).