WhenToBird

Dryobates pubescens · Picidae

When Do Downy Woodpeckers Arrive in Nebraska?

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

The Downy Woodpecker is in Nebraska all year. It turns up on about 38% of checklists at its peak (early January) and on 15% in its quietest week (the second week of June).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekJan 1-7early January
Quietest weekJun 8-14the second week of June

Best: early January. Here all year. Peak: on about 38% of Nebraska checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  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%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 37% of 4210 checklistsJan 8-14: 38% of 2891 checklistsJan 15-21: 38% of 2685 checklistsJan 22-31: 36% of 3834 checklistsFeb 1-7: 31% of 2803 checklistsFeb 8-14: 37% of 3134 checklistsFeb 15-21: 36% of 4508 checklistsFeb 22-28: 30% of 3238 checklistsMar 1-7: 27% of 3862 checklistsMar 8-14: 23% of 4894 checklistsMar 15-21: 21% of 5862 checklistsMar 22-31: 21% of 8598 checklistsApr 1-7: 23% of 5530 checklistsApr 8-14: 25% of 5528 checklistsApr 15-21: 25% of 6091 checklistsApr 22-30: 27% of 8661 checklistsMay 1-7: 30% of 9842 checklistsMay 8-14: 29% of 10044 checklistsMay 15-21: 25% of 8863 checklistsMay 22-31: 20% of 10207 checklistsJun 1-7: 16% of 4922 checklistsJun 8-14: 15% of 4054 checklistsJun 15-21: 15% of 3680 checklistsJun 22-30: 17% of 4349 checklistsJul 1-7: 18% of 3277 checklistsJul 8-14: 20% of 2803 checklistsJul 15-21: 18% of 2842 checklistsJul 22-31: 19% of 3920 checklistsAug 1-7: 20% of 2981 checklistsAug 8-14: 22% of 2819 checklistsAug 15-21: 20% of 3179 checklistsAug 22-31: 30% of 4599 checklistsSep 1-7: 34% of 3958 checklistsSep 8-14: 34% of 3460 checklistsSep 15-21: 30% of 3435 checklistsSep 22-30: 28% of 4975 checklistsOct 1-7: 29% of 3611 checklistsOct 8-14: 28% of 3605 checklistsOct 15-21: 27% of 3474 checklistsOct 22-31: 29% of 4352 checklistsNov 1-7: 29% of 3119 checklistsNov 8-14: 26% of 2887 checklistsNov 15-21: 31% of 2568 checklistsNov 22-30: 33% of 3506 checklistsDec 1-7: 33% of 2453 checklistsDec 8-14: 33% of 2756 checklistsDec 15-21: 32% of 3760 checklistsDec 22-31: 40% of 3746 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 Nebraska 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 Nebraska

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Otoe CountyBest mid December · 52 checklists that week, 3,856 in all77%
  2. Saline CountyBest late December · 29 checklists that week, 724 in all70%
  3. Nemaha CountyBest late January · 11 checklists that week, 883 in all68%
  4. Cass CountyBest early April · 128 checklists that week, 4,466 in all62%
  5. Dodge CountyBest late January · 213 checklists that week, 8,625 in all56%
  6. Douglas CountyBest the second week of September · 398 checklists that week, 25,023 in all55%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Fontenelle Forest Association Local Resource Management Area (Old Home Creek)Sarpy County, best mid December · 20 checklists that week, 1,592 in all92%
  2. Schramm Park State Recreation AreaSarpy County, best mid January · 26 checklists that week, 627 in all90%
  3. Elmwood ParkDouglas County, best early May · 21 checklists that week, 238 in all87%
  4. Tierra/BriarhurstLancaster County, best the second week of May · 21 checklists that week, 210 in all87%
  5. Towl ParkDouglas County, best the second week of April · 36 checklists that week, 1,437 in all86%
  6. Wilderness Park (Cardwell Branch)Lancaster County, best early May · 34 checklists that week, 189 in all84%

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

Best time of day

In Nebraska, the Downy Woodpecker is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (36% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%40%12 am: too few checklists (60) to judge1 am: too few checklists (70) to judge2 am: too few checklists (74) to judge3 am: too few checklists (97) to judge4 am: too few checklists (318) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1382) to judge6 am: 31% of 6945 checklists7 am: 36% of 19066 checklists8 am: 36% of 24661 checklists9 am: 31% of 23438 checklists10 am: 27% of 20424 checklists11 am: 24% of 16727 checklists12 pm: 24% of 14774 checklists1 pm: 23% of 14443 checklists2 pm: 23% of 14830 checklists3 pm: 23% of 14445 checklists4 pm: 23% of 13353 checklists5 pm: 21% of 10506 checklists6 pm: 21% of 9208 checklists7 pm: 15% of 6334 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2406) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (531) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (201) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (82) 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
January37%38%38%36%
February31%37%36%30%
March27%23%21%21%
April23%25%25%27%
May30%29%25%20%
June16%15%15%17%
July18%20%18%19%
August20%22%20%30%
September34%34%30%28%
October29%28%27%29%
November29%26%31%33%
December33%33%32%40%

Neighboring states

  • Kansas: year-round, peaks mid February
  • South Dakota: all year, most in winter, peaks mid February
  • Iowa: year-round, peaks early February
  • Missouri: year-round, peaks the second week of February

Common questions

When do Downy Woodpeckers arrive in Nebraska?
The Downy Woodpecker is in Nebraska all year. It turns up on about 38% of checklists at its peak (early January) and on 15% in its quietest week (the second week of June).
When do Downy Woodpeckers leave Nebraska?
The Downy Woodpecker does not leave Nebraska: it is reported all year, from 15% of checklists in the second week of June to 38% in early January.
When is the best time to see a Downy Woodpecker in Nebraska?
The Downy Woodpecker is reported most often in early January, on about 38% of Nebraska checklists.
Where in Nebraska are Downy Woodpeckers seen most often?
By county, Otoe County, Saline County, and Nemaha County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Downy Woodpecker (counties with at least 200 checklists).