WhenToBird

Dryobates pubescens · Picidae

When Do Downy Woodpeckers Arrive in Louisiana?

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

The Downy Woodpecker is in Louisiana all year. It turns up on about 41% of checklists at its peak (late September) and on 25% in its quietest week (mid April).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekSep 22-30late September
Quietest weekApr 15-21mid April

Best: late September. Here all year. Peak: on about 41% of Louisiana checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 30% of 8384 checklistsJan 8-14: 28% of 6265 checklistsJan 15-21: 29% of 6825 checklistsJan 22-31: 29% of 8776 checklistsFeb 1-7: 30% of 5956 checklistsFeb 8-14: 27% of 6291 checklistsFeb 15-21: 28% of 8044 checklistsFeb 22-28: 29% of 5946 checklistsMar 1-7: 33% of 5981 checklistsMar 8-14: 33% of 6307 checklistsMar 15-21: 32% of 6747 checklistsMar 22-31: 32% of 10487 checklistsApr 1-7: 29% of 8037 checklistsApr 8-14: 27% of 9577 checklistsApr 15-21: 24% of 11372 checklistsApr 22-30: 25% of 14344 checklistsMay 1-7: 28% of 8193 checklistsMay 8-14: 29% of 6823 checklistsMay 15-21: 29% of 4818 checklistsMay 22-31: 29% of 6206 checklistsJun 1-7: 29% of 3660 checklistsJun 8-14: 29% of 3455 checklistsJun 15-21: 28% of 3084 checklistsJun 22-30: 27% of 3904 checklistsJul 1-7: 27% of 3240 checklistsJul 8-14: 27% of 3235 checklistsJul 15-21: 28% of 3167 checklistsJul 22-31: 28% of 4328 checklistsAug 1-7: 29% of 3192 checklistsAug 8-14: 30% of 3394 checklistsAug 15-21: 34% of 3502 checklistsAug 22-31: 35% of 5658 checklistsSep 1-7: 38% of 4366 checklistsSep 8-14: 39% of 4648 checklistsSep 15-21: 42% of 4369 checklistsSep 22-30: 41% of 6418 checklistsOct 1-7: 41% of 5375 checklistsOct 8-14: 39% of 6213 checklistsOct 15-21: 37% of 5553 checklistsOct 22-31: 30% of 8879 checklistsNov 1-7: 29% of 6231 checklistsNov 8-14: 30% of 5011 checklistsNov 15-21: 32% of 4856 checklistsNov 22-30: 30% of 6696 checklistsDec 1-7: 31% of 4530 checklistsDec 8-14: 31% of 4883 checklistsDec 15-21: 31% of 5833 checklistsDec 22-31: 32% of 9940 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 Louisiana 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 Louisiana

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. East Carroll ParishBest early May · 14 checklists that week, 317 in all71%
  2. La Salle ParishBest the second week of October · 19 checklists that week, 847 in all70%
  3. East Feliciana ParishBest late December · 21 checklists that week, 1,037 in all65%
  4. West Feliciana ParishBest the second week of October · 37 checklists that week, 2,336 in all64%
  5. Washington ParishBest the second week of October · 15 checklists that week, 975 in all64%
  6. Lafayette ParishBest the second week of September · 272 checklists that week, 14,990 in all64%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Acadiana ParkLafayette Parish, best late September · 24 checklists that week, 491 in all90%
  2. City Park LakeEast Baton Rouge Parish, best late October · 33 checklists that week, 1,057 in all89%
  3. New Orleans City ParkOrleans Parish, best late September · 230 checklists that week, 4,934 in all88%
  4. New Orleans City Park (Demourelles Island)Orleans Parish, best mid November · 44 checklists that week, 1,449 in all87%

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

Best time of day

In Louisiana, the Downy Woodpecker is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (44% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%12 am: too few checklists (110) to judge1 am: too few checklists (95) to judge2 am: too few checklists (78) to judge3 am: too few checklists (145) to judge4 am: too few checklists (266) to judge5 am: too few checklists (2981) to judge6 am: 47% of 21115 checklists7 am: 42% of 38843 checklists8 am: 38% of 36306 checklists9 am: 32% of 31934 checklists10 am: 27% of 27208 checklists11 am: 25% of 20733 checklists12 pm: 24% of 18505 checklists1 pm: 23% of 17383 checklists2 pm: 24% of 17422 checklists3 pm: 25% of 17005 checklists4 pm: 23% of 17170 checklists5 pm: 21% of 12536 checklists6 pm: 18% of 8080 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (3798) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (676) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (311) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (206) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (93) 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
January30%28%29%29%
February30%27%28%29%
March33%33%32%32%
April29%27%24%25%
May28%29%29%29%
June29%29%28%27%
July27%27%28%28%
August29%30%34%35%
September38%39%42%41%
October41%39%37%30%
November29%30%32%30%
December31%31%31%32%

Neighboring states

  • Mississippi: year-round, peaks early October
  • Alabama: year-round, peaks late September
  • Texas: year-round, peaks the second week of September
  • Arkansas: year-round, peaks late September

Common questions

When do Downy Woodpeckers arrive in Louisiana?
The Downy Woodpecker is in Louisiana all year. It turns up on about 41% of checklists at its peak (late September) and on 25% in its quietest week (mid April).
When do Downy Woodpeckers leave Louisiana?
The Downy Woodpecker does not leave Louisiana: it is reported all year, from 25% of checklists in mid April to 41% in late September.
When is the best time to see a Downy Woodpecker in Louisiana?
The Downy Woodpecker is reported most often in late September, on about 41% of Louisiana checklists.
Where in Louisiana are Downy Woodpeckers seen most often?
By county, East Carroll Parish, La Salle Parish, and East Feliciana Parish have the highest peak reporting rates for the Downy Woodpecker (counties with at least 200 checklists).