WhenToBird

Dryobates pubescens · Picidae

When Do Downy Woodpeckers Arrive in Kentucky?

Adult female Downy Woodpecker
Photo: joy4birds, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

The Downy Woodpecker is in Kentucky all year. It turns up on about 46% of checklists at its peak (late September) and on 29% in its quietest week (early August).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekSep 22-30late September
Quietest weekAug 1-7early August

Best: late September. Here all year. Peak: on about 46% of Kentucky checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 42% of 6923 checklistsJan 8-14: 44% of 4900 checklistsJan 15-21: 43% of 5016 checklistsJan 22-31: 41% of 6611 checklistsFeb 1-7: 42% of 4986 checklistsFeb 8-14: 42% of 5677 checklistsFeb 15-21: 40% of 8880 checklistsFeb 22-28: 37% of 5567 checklistsMar 1-7: 38% of 5397 checklistsMar 8-14: 40% of 5462 checklistsMar 15-21: 41% of 5733 checklistsMar 22-31: 41% of 9043 checklistsApr 1-7: 44% of 6763 checklistsApr 8-14: 39% of 7498 checklistsApr 15-21: 41% of 8486 checklistsApr 22-30: 38% of 13396 checklistsMay 1-7: 38% of 10825 checklistsMay 8-14: 36% of 11495 checklistsMay 15-21: 36% of 7363 checklistsMay 22-31: 32% of 8800 checklistsJun 1-7: 31% of 5381 checklistsJun 8-14: 30% of 5244 checklistsJun 15-21: 32% of 4730 checklistsJun 22-30: 32% of 5470 checklistsJul 1-7: 33% of 4567 checklistsJul 8-14: 31% of 4287 checklistsJul 15-21: 30% of 4097 checklistsJul 22-31: 28% of 6044 checklistsAug 1-7: 29% of 4647 checklistsAug 8-14: 29% of 4256 checklistsAug 15-21: 30% of 4484 checklistsAug 22-31: 34% of 6434 checklistsSep 1-7: 40% of 5450 checklistsSep 8-14: 44% of 5157 checklistsSep 15-21: 45% of 5530 checklistsSep 22-30: 47% of 6710 checklistsOct 1-7: 46% of 5403 checklistsOct 8-14: 45% of 5943 checklistsOct 15-21: 44% of 4873 checklistsOct 22-31: 41% of 6584 checklistsNov 1-7: 40% of 5008 checklistsNov 8-14: 41% of 4677 checklistsNov 15-21: 42% of 4419 checklistsNov 22-30: 42% of 5933 checklistsDec 1-7: 42% of 4479 checklistsDec 8-14: 42% of 4687 checklistsDec 15-21: 41% of 6239 checklistsDec 22-31: 43% of 7976 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 Kentucky 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 Kentucky

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Spencer CountyBest early January · 92 checklists that week, 7,721 in all92%
  2. Garrard CountyBest early February · 26 checklists that week, 1,578 in all80%
  3. Jackson CountyBest early January · 13 checklists that week, 344 in all79%
  4. Oldham CountyBest mid July · 114 checklists that week, 6,659 in all73%
  5. Adair CountyBest late December · 61 checklists that week, 903 in all72%
  6. Muhlenberg CountyBest late September · 22 checklists that week, 1,263 in all72%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Floracliff Nature SanctuaryFayette County, best early December · 22 checklists that week, 730 in all94%
  2. Willow LakeJefferson County, best the second week of October · 34 checklists that week, 1,890 in all90%
  3. Cherokee ParkJefferson County, best late September · 23 checklists that week, 1,395 in all90%
  4. Caperton SwampJefferson County, best early March · 21 checklists that week, 1,161 in all87%
  5. Draut ParkJefferson County, best late September · 24 checklists that week, 927 in all87%

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

Best time of day

In Kentucky, the Downy Woodpecker is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (47% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%12 am: too few checklists (140) to judge1 am: too few checklists (120) to judge2 am: too few checklists (88) to judge3 am: too few checklists (95) to judge4 am: too few checklists (151) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1289) to judge6 am: 42% of 8227 checklists7 am: 46% of 24608 checklists8 am: 48% of 36577 checklists9 am: 45% of 34626 checklists10 am: 39% of 28796 checklists11 am: 36% of 22781 checklists12 pm: 35% of 19848 checklists1 pm: 34% of 19369 checklists2 pm: 35% of 19367 checklists3 pm: 36% of 19618 checklists4 pm: 36% of 19464 checklists5 pm: 34% of 16639 checklists6 pm: 32% of 12714 checklists7 pm: 28% of 8457 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (3447) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (684) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (267) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (158) 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
January42%44%43%41%
February42%42%40%37%
March38%40%41%41%
April44%39%41%38%
May38%36%36%32%
June31%30%32%32%
July33%31%30%28%
August29%29%30%34%
September40%44%45%47%
October46%45%44%41%
November40%41%42%42%
December42%42%41%43%

Neighboring states

  • Tennessee: year-round, peaks late September
  • Indiana: year-round, peaks mid September
  • Ohio: year-round, peaks late September
  • Illinois: year-round, peaks mid September

Common questions

When do Downy Woodpeckers arrive in Kentucky?
The Downy Woodpecker is in Kentucky all year. It turns up on about 46% of checklists at its peak (late September) and on 29% in its quietest week (early August).
When do Downy Woodpeckers leave Kentucky?
The Downy Woodpecker does not leave Kentucky: it is reported all year, from 29% of checklists in early August to 46% in late September.
When is the best time to see a Downy Woodpecker in Kentucky?
The Downy Woodpecker is reported most often in late September, on about 46% of Kentucky checklists.
Where in Kentucky are Downy Woodpeckers seen most often?
By county, Spencer County, Garrard County, and Jackson County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Downy Woodpecker (counties with at least 200 checklists).