Best Time to See Turkey Vultures in the US
April, May and March is the best time to see turkey vultures in the United States. This is a national picture built from 175,599 verified iNaturalist observations across 49 states, showing when and where turkey vultures are most active.
By Tim, founder of Easy Street Markets. I maintain the wildlife database and verify every animal and source myself.
175,599 verified observations of turkey vultures in the US, recorded across 12 months of the year on iNaturalist.
When turkey vultures are recorded in the US
Peak month
April
26,373 records (15% of the year)
| Month | Observations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| January | 11,455 | 6.5% |
| February | 11,832 | 6.7% |
| Marchpeak | 19,210 | 10.9% |
| Aprilpeak | 26,373 | 15% |
| Maypeak | 20,329 | 11.6% |
| June | 14,694 | 8.4% |
| July | 12,095 | 6.9% |
| August | 11,430 | 6.5% |
| September | 14,250 | 8.1% |
| October | 13,187 | 7.5% |
| November | 10,366 | 5.9% |
| December | 10,378 | 5.9% |
Turkey Vultures you are most likely to see
| Species | Verified observations |
|---|---|
| Turkey Vulture | 175,599 |
Across the country, turkey vultures sightings peak in April, when 26,373 of the 175,599 annual observations are logged, about 15% of the national total. Nationwide activity stays high through April, May and March.
The best states to see turkey vultures by recorded sightings are California (48,127), Texas (24,833), Florida (12,574), Pennsylvania (5,881) and Virginia (5,809). Each state page below breaks the year down month by month for that state.
The turkey vultures you are most likely to encounter nationwide are Turkey Vulture, the most-recorded species across all states combined.
Best states to see turkey vultures
- turkey vultures in California48,127 sightings, peak April
- turkey vultures in Texas24,833 sightings, peak April
- turkey vultures in Florida12,574 sightings, peak January
- turkey vultures in Pennsylvania5,881 sightings, peak April
- turkey vultures in Virginia5,809 sightings, peak April
- turkey vultures in Maryland5,647 sightings, peak April
- turkey vultures in Ohio5,639 sightings, peak April
- turkey vultures in Oregon4,818 sightings, peak April
- turkey vultures in Arizona4,532 sightings, peak April
- turkey vultures in New York3,991 sightings, peak April
- turkey vultures in North Carolina3,948 sightings, peak April
- turkey vultures in New Jersey3,861 sightings, peak March
- turkey vultures in Illinois3,301 sightings, peak April
- turkey vultures in South Carolina2,868 sightings, peak January
- turkey vultures in Massachusetts2,369 sightings, peak April
Most-recorded turkey vultures species nationwide
- Turkey Vulture175,599 records
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time to see turkey vultures in the US?+
April is the single best month nationwide, with the broader peak running through April, May and March, based on 175,599 verified observations across 49 states.
Which states are best for seeing turkey vultures?+
By recorded sightings, the top states are California, Texas and Florida. California leads with 48,127 verified observations.
How many turkey vultures sightings are recorded in the US each year?+
About 175,599 verified turkey vultures observations are logged on iNaturalist across 49 states with enough data to chart a seasonal pattern.
What kinds of turkey vultures live in the US?+
The most-recorded species nationwide are Turkey Vulture, based on all-time iNaturalist counts.