WhenToBird

Meleagris gallopavo · Phasianidae

When Do Wild Turkeys Arrive in New Mexico?

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

Wild Turkeys reach New Mexico in mid January, are common by early February, peak in late April (3.7% of checklists), and most are gone by late October.

When to look

First arrivalsJan 15-21mid January
Common byFeb 1-7early February
PeakApr 22-30late April
Most gone byOct 22-31late October

Best: late April. First arrivals mid January; most are gone by late October. Peak: on about 3.7% of New Mexico checklists.

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

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 0.8% of 11827 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.1% of 9370 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.9% of 9561 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.1% of 12707 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.1% of 9365 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.4% of 10141 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.0% of 12431 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.4% of 9159 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.4% of 9348 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.8% of 9704 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.6% of 9896 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.0% of 14679 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.6% of 11145 checklistsApr 8-14: 3.1% of 11939 checklistsApr 15-21: 3.3% of 12885 checklistsApr 22-30: 3.8% of 17935 checklistsMay 1-7: 4.0% of 15202 checklistsMay 8-14: 3.3% of 16604 checklistsMay 15-21: 3.1% of 12720 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.5% of 16699 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.7% of 9889 checklistsJun 8-14: 1.9% of 9322 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.8% of 8341 checklistsJun 22-30: 1.5% of 10562 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.5% of 9036 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.3% of 8461 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.6% of 8585 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.4% of 11800 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.5% of 8289 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.1% of 8882 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.4% of 9136 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.4% of 12662 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.3% of 9936 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.5% of 9581 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.5% of 9355 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.8% of 12402 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.6% of 9467 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.5% of 10279 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.5% of 8990 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.1% of 11986 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.0% of 8461 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.9% of 8801 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.4% of 8616 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.0% of 11088 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.0% of 8444 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.1% of 8575 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.2% of 10958 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.0% of 14523 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 New Mexico 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 New Mexico

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Eddy CountyBest the second week of May · 452 checklists that week, 11,011 in all32%
  2. Colfax CountyBest late April · 169 checklists that week, 8,053 in all19%
  3. Harding CountyBest late November · 12 checklists that week, 932 in all17%
  4. Socorro CountyBest late April · 1290 checklists that week, 33,508 in all17%
  5. De Baca CountyBest mid April · 42 checklists that week, 2,203 in all15%
  6. Otero CountyBest late September · 117 checklists that week, 8,483 in all12%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Carlsbad Caverns National ParkEddy County, best early October · 23 checklists that week, 2,740 in all87%
  2. Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge (east)Socorro County, best early May · 69 checklists that week, 586 in all71%
  3. Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge (south)Socorro County, best the second week of May · 48 checklists that week, 1,760 in all66%
  4. Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge (northeast)Socorro County, best early May · 32 checklists that week, 910 in all61%
  5. Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge (southeast 2)Socorro County, best mid April · 24 checklists that week, 965 in all52%

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

Best time of day

In New Mexico, the Wild Turkey is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (2.3% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%12 am: too few checklists (186) to judge1 am: too few checklists (180) to judge2 am: too few checklists (172) to judge3 am: too few checklists (183) to judge4 am: too few checklists (527) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4013) to judge6 am: 3.4% of 29677 checklists7 am: 1.9% of 71785 checklists8 am: 1.7% of 79208 checklists9 am: 1.6% of 61605 checklists10 am: 1.4% of 49588 checklists11 am: 1.3% of 38079 checklists12 pm: 1.2% of 31089 checklists1 pm: 1.3% of 27524 checklists2 pm: 1.5% of 26644 checklists3 pm: 1.6% of 26849 checklists4 pm: 1.8% of 25156 checklists5 pm: 2.1% of 19061 checklists6 pm: 2.1% of 15112 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (9040) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (2738) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (736) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (384) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (208) 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
January0.8%1.1%0.9%1.1%
February1.1%1.4%1.0%1.4%
March1.4%1.8%1.6%2.0%
April2.6%3.1%3.3%3.8%
May4.0%3.3%3.1%2.5%
June1.7%1.9%1.8%1.5%
July1.5%1.3%1.6%1.4%
August1.5%1.1%1.4%1.4%
September1.3%1.5%1.5%1.8%
October1.6%1.5%1.5%1.1%
November1.0%0.9%1.4%1.0%
December1.0%1.1%1.2%1.0%

Neighboring states

  • Arizona: arrives mid December, 4 weeks earlier than New Mexico
  • Colorado: year-round, peaks the second week of May
  • Utah: year-round, peaks mid April
  • Oklahoma: arrives late January, 1 week later than New Mexico

Common questions

When do Wild Turkeys arrive in New Mexico?
Wild Turkeys reach New Mexico in mid January, are common by early February, peak in late April (3.7% of checklists), and most are gone by late October.
When do Wild Turkeys leave New Mexico?
Most Wild Turkeys have left New Mexico by late October, 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 New Mexico?
The Wild Turkey is reported most often in late April, on about 3.7% of New Mexico checklists.
Where in New Mexico are Wild Turkeys seen most often?
By county, Eddy County, Colfax County, and Harding County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Wild Turkey (counties with at least 200 checklists).