WhenToBird

Melanerpes formicivorus · Picidae

When Do Acorn Woodpeckers Arrive in New Mexico?

Adult female Acorn Woodpecker
Photo: Irene, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

The Acorn Woodpecker is in New Mexico all year. It turns up on about 5.3% of checklists at its peak (mid May) and on 2.8% in its quietest week (the second week of February).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekMay 15-21mid May
Quietest weekFeb 8-14the second week of February

Best: mid May. Here all year. Peak: on about 5.3% of New Mexico checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 3.3% of 11827 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.1% of 9370 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.9% of 9561 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.0% of 12707 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.9% of 9365 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.5% of 10141 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.0% of 12431 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.0% of 9159 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.1% of 9348 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.6% of 9704 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.3% of 9896 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.5% of 14679 checklistsApr 1-7: 4.1% of 11145 checklistsApr 8-14: 4.1% of 11939 checklistsApr 15-21: 4.1% of 12885 checklistsApr 22-30: 4.8% of 17935 checklistsMay 1-7: 5.2% of 15202 checklistsMay 8-14: 5.2% of 16604 checklistsMay 15-21: 5.4% of 12720 checklistsMay 22-31: 5.4% of 16699 checklistsJun 1-7: 4.6% of 9889 checklistsJun 8-14: 5.0% of 9322 checklistsJun 15-21: 4.4% of 8341 checklistsJun 22-30: 4.5% of 10562 checklistsJul 1-7: 4.8% of 9036 checklistsJul 8-14: 4.5% of 8461 checklistsJul 15-21: 4.8% of 8585 checklistsJul 22-31: 4.5% of 11800 checklistsAug 1-7: 4.3% of 8289 checklistsAug 8-14: 4.1% of 8882 checklistsAug 15-21: 4.1% of 9136 checklistsAug 22-31: 4.5% of 12662 checklistsSep 1-7: 4.6% of 9936 checklistsSep 8-14: 4.2% of 9581 checklistsSep 15-21: 4.5% of 9355 checklistsSep 22-30: 3.8% of 12402 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.6% of 9467 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.8% of 10279 checklistsOct 15-21: 4.0% of 8990 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.7% of 11986 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.5% of 8461 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.7% of 8801 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.1% of 8616 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.3% of 11088 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.3% of 8444 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.3% of 8575 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.7% of 10958 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.5% 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. Cibola CountyBest the second week of February · 37 checklists that week, 3,986 in all42%
  2. Lincoln CountyBest mid August · 126 checklists that week, 4,676 in all34%
  3. Los Alamos CountyBest mid May · 1303 checklists that week, 50,554 in all30%
  4. Grant CountyBest late August · 312 checklists that week, 16,662 in all30%
  5. Catron CountyBest mid May · 218 checklists that week, 6,114 in all22%
  6. Sierra CountyBest early June · 137 checklists that week, 13,458 in all8.9%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Ranch School TrailLos Alamos County, best mid August · 23 checklists that week, 1,691 in all98%
  2. Los AlamosLos Alamos County, best the second week of November · 26 checklists that week, 1,430 in all91%
  3. Acid Canyon TrailLos Alamos County, best mid May · 25 checklists that week, 313 in all87%
  4. Gonzales RoadLos Alamos County, best late April · 23 checklists that week, 341 in all83%
  5. Los Alamos National LaboratoryLos Alamos County, best late July · 30 checklists that week, 1,305 in all79%
  6. ResevoirLos Alamos County, best early September · 26 checklists that week, 1,055 in all77%

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

Best time of day

In New Mexico, the Acorn Woodpecker is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (6.0% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%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: 5.7% of 29677 checklists7 am: 6.2% of 71785 checklists8 am: 4.6% of 79208 checklists9 am: 4.3% of 61605 checklists10 am: 4.1% of 49588 checklists11 am: 3.0% of 38079 checklists12 pm: 2.7% of 31089 checklists1 pm: 2.7% of 27524 checklists2 pm: 2.5% of 26644 checklists3 pm: 2.4% of 26849 checklists4 pm: 2.3% of 25156 checklists5 pm: 3.4% of 19061 checklists6 pm: 2.9% 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
January3.3%3.1%2.9%3.0%
February2.9%2.5%3.0%3.0%
March3.1%3.6%3.3%3.5%
April4.1%4.1%4.1%4.8%
May5.2%5.2%5.4%5.4%
June4.6%5.0%4.4%4.5%
July4.8%4.5%4.8%4.5%
August4.3%4.1%4.1%4.5%
September4.6%4.2%4.5%3.8%
October3.6%3.8%4.0%3.7%
November3.5%3.7%3.1%3.3%
December3.3%3.3%3.7%2.5%

Neighboring states

  • Arizona: all year, most in summer, peaks the second week of August
  • Texas: summer visitor, peaks mid August
  • California: year-round, peaks mid April
  • Oregon: year-round, peaks mid April

Common questions

When do Acorn Woodpeckers arrive in New Mexico?
The Acorn Woodpecker is in New Mexico all year. It turns up on about 5.3% of checklists at its peak (mid May) and on 2.8% in its quietest week (the second week of February).
When do Acorn Woodpeckers leave New Mexico?
The Acorn Woodpecker does not leave New Mexico: it is reported all year, from 2.8% of checklists in the second week of February to 5.3% in mid May.
When is the best time to see a Acorn Woodpecker in New Mexico?
The Acorn Woodpecker is reported most often in mid May, on about 5.3% of New Mexico checklists.
Where in New Mexico are Acorn Woodpeckers seen most often?
By county, Cibola County, Lincoln County, and Los Alamos County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Acorn Woodpecker (counties with at least 200 checklists).