WhenToBird

Picoides dorsalis · Picidae

When Do American Three-toed Woodpeckers Arrive in Colorado?

Adult female American Three-toed Woodpecker
Photo: Kevin Krebs, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

American Three-toed Woodpeckers arrive in Colorado in early June, peak in mid July (1.2% of checklists), and most are gone by early October.

When to look

First arrivalsJun 1-7early June
Common byJun 1-7early June
PeakJul 15-21mid July
Most gone byOct 1-7early October

Best: mid July. First arrivals early June; most are gone by early October. Peak: on about 1.2% of Colorado checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marrare
  4. Aprrare
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novrare
  12. Decrare

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%Jan 1-7: 0.2% of 32254 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 23278 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.2% of 22933 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.2% of 30856 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.2% of 21464 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.2% of 22910 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 28739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 21833 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.1% of 23066 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 23783 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.2% of 24797 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 38439 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.2% of 31676 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.2% of 35092 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 36778 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 50885 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 44186 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 49011 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 40784 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.3% of 53073 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.4% of 32432 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.6% of 29978 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.6% of 29457 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.9% of 36072 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.0% of 28857 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.2% of 27224 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.2% of 27629 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.3% of 37318 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.1% of 25893 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.9% of 24870 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.6% of 24035 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.6% of 35691 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.4% of 27068 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.3% of 26709 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.4% of 26098 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.5% of 31550 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.4% of 24110 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.3% of 23352 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.3% of 21895 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.2% of 28319 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.3% of 21698 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 21061 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 19855 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 25798 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 18626 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 19004 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.2% of 23103 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% of 30802 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 Colorado 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 Colorado

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. San Juan CountyBest early November · 20 checklists that week, 2,012 in all20%
  2. Conejos CountyBest early September · 35 checklists that week, 1,636 in all7.8%
  3. Dolores CountyBest early August · 39 checklists that week, 2,000 in all7.1%
  4. Clear Creek CountyBest the second week of August · 243 checklists that week, 8,581 in all6.6%
  5. Mineral CountyBest mid October · 13 checklists that week, 1,750 in all5.9%
  6. Hinsdale CountyBest mid July · 122 checklists that week, 2,303 in all5.3%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Long LakeBoulder County, best late July · 21 checklists that week, 146 in all32%
  2. Red Rock LakeBoulder County, best the second week of July · 47 checklists that week, 304 in all31%
  3. Eagles Nest WildernessSummit County, best early August · 24 checklists that week, 185 in all30%
  4. Brainard LakeBoulder County, best early August · 23 checklists that week, 512 in all25%
  5. Flying J Ranch ParkJefferson County, best the second week of August · 22 checklists that week, 542 in all24%
  6. Rocky Mountain National Park (northwest)Larimer County, best late June · 43 checklists that week, 528 in all23%

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

Best time of day

In Colorado, the American Three-toed Woodpecker is most often listed on checklists started between 10 am and 12 pm (0.4% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%12 am: too few checklists (512) to judge1 am: too few checklists (468) to judge2 am: too few checklists (513) to judge3 am: too few checklists (656) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1918) to judge5 am: too few checklists (16045) to judge6 am: 0.5% of 71991 checklists7 am: 0.4% of 159189 checklists8 am: 0.4% of 177206 checklists9 am: 0.4% of 165269 checklists10 am: 0.4% of 141029 checklists11 am: 0.4% of 115283 checklists12 pm: 0.4% of 96068 checklists1 pm: 0.3% of 89512 checklists2 pm: 0.3% of 86319 checklists3 pm: 0.3% of 82496 checklists4 pm: 0.2% of 71648 checklists5 pm: 0.2% of 52445 checklists6 pm: 0.2% of 40199 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24246) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (7986) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2004) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (888) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (450) 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
January0.2%0.1%0.2%0.2%
February0.2%0.2%0.1%0.1%
March0.1%0.1%0.2%0.1%
April0.2%0.2%0.1%0.1%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0.3%
June0.4%0.6%0.6%0.9%
July1.0%1.2%1.2%1.3%
August1.1%0.9%0.6%0.6%
September0.4%0.3%0.4%0.5%
October0.4%0.3%0.3%0.2%
November0.3%0.1%0.1%0.1%
December0.1%0.1%0.2%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • Utah: arrives the second week of June, 1 week later than Colorado
  • Montana: arrives mid April, 6 weeks earlier than Colorado
  • Alaska: year-round, peaks mid March

Common questions

When do American Three-toed Woodpeckers arrive in Colorado?
American Three-toed Woodpeckers arrive in Colorado in early June, peak in mid July (1.2% of checklists), and most are gone by early October.
When do American Three-toed Woodpeckers leave Colorado?
Most American Three-toed Woodpeckers have left Colorado by early October, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a American Three-toed Woodpecker in Colorado?
The American Three-toed Woodpecker is reported most often in mid July, on about 1.2% of Colorado checklists.
Where in Colorado are American Three-toed Woodpeckers seen most often?
By county, San Juan County, Conejos County, and Dolores County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Three-toed Woodpecker (counties with at least 200 checklists).