WhenToBird

Dryobates pubescens · Picidae

When Do Downy Woodpeckers Arrive in New York?

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

The Downy Woodpecker is in New York all year. It turns up on about 37% of checklists at its peak (the second week of December) and on 20% in its quietest week (early June).

When to look

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

Best: the second week of December. Here all year. Peak: on about 37% of New York 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%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 33% of 66410 checklistsJan 8-14: 33% of 49310 checklistsJan 15-21: 32% of 49919 checklistsJan 22-31: 34% of 62513 checklistsFeb 1-7: 34% of 43526 checklistsFeb 8-14: 36% of 49753 checklistsFeb 15-21: 38% of 65147 checklistsFeb 22-28: 33% of 50173 checklistsMar 1-7: 32% of 50325 checklistsMar 8-14: 31% of 55371 checklistsMar 15-21: 32% of 56293 checklistsMar 22-31: 33% of 82677 checklistsApr 1-7: 34% of 65295 checklistsApr 8-14: 35% of 73080 checklistsApr 15-21: 36% of 73857 checklistsApr 22-30: 38% of 106093 checklistsMay 1-7: 37% of 102772 checklistsMay 8-14: 31% of 110051 checklistsMay 15-21: 25% of 94797 checklistsMay 22-31: 20% of 101272 checklistsJun 1-7: 19% of 59471 checklistsJun 8-14: 21% of 55497 checklistsJun 15-21: 24% of 51761 checklistsJun 22-30: 26% of 59219 checklistsJul 1-7: 27% of 48226 checklistsJul 8-14: 27% of 42315 checklistsJul 15-21: 27% of 40637 checklistsJul 22-31: 28% of 57183 checklistsAug 1-7: 28% of 40461 checklistsAug 8-14: 28% of 39880 checklistsAug 15-21: 29% of 41146 checklistsAug 22-31: 31% of 63381 checklistsSep 1-7: 33% of 48640 checklistsSep 8-14: 36% of 47882 checklistsSep 15-21: 37% of 49063 checklistsSep 22-30: 37% of 57906 checklistsOct 1-7: 37% of 48447 checklistsOct 8-14: 34% of 51901 checklistsOct 15-21: 33% of 46717 checklistsOct 22-31: 35% of 61992 checklistsNov 1-7: 34% of 44593 checklistsNov 8-14: 35% of 42566 checklistsNov 15-21: 35% of 39675 checklistsNov 22-30: 36% of 51197 checklistsDec 1-7: 37% of 36567 checklistsDec 8-14: 37% of 37254 checklistsDec 15-21: 37% of 43754 checklistsDec 22-31: 36% of 62470 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 York 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 York

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Yates CountyBest late November · 148 checklists that week, 10,331 in all63%
  2. Saratoga CountyBest late September · 941 checklists that week, 56,746 in all59%
  3. Lewis CountyBest mid December · 33 checklists that week, 5,920 in all58%
  4. Allegany CountyBest the second week of December · 110 checklists that week, 11,955 in all57%
  5. Oneida CountyBest the second week of December · 338 checklists that week, 24,439 in all57%
  6. Wyoming CountyBest the second week of January · 130 checklists that week, 11,458 in all55%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. City of Saratoga Springs LandSaratoga County, best early May · 41 checklists that week, 1,892 in all100%
  2. Goodhue ParkRichmond County, best mid July · 21 checklists that week, 702 in all99%
  3. Squire PondSuffolk County, best early July · 35 checklists that week, 668 in all94%
  4. Nassau LakeRensselaer County, best the second week of September · 29 checklists that week, 1,459 in all93%
  5. Forest Park (Forest Hills Gardens)Queens County, best the second week of March · 37 checklists that week, 1,648 in all93%
  6. Van KeurensDutchess County, best mid April · 20 checklists that week, 780 in all93%

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

Best time of day

In New York, 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 (1146) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1055) to judge2 am: too few checklists (1121) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1353) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4785) to judge5 am: too few checklists (32052) to judge6 am: 42% of 124869 checklists7 am: 45% of 298506 checklists8 am: 42% of 337334 checklists9 am: 36% of 307787 checklists10 am: 31% of 270801 checklists11 am: 28% of 233238 checklists12 pm: 27% of 213830 checklists1 pm: 27% of 193321 checklists2 pm: 26% of 180741 checklists3 pm: 26% of 170348 checklists4 pm: 24% of 147224 checklists5 pm: 25% of 111962 checklists6 pm: 23% of 78261 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (44425) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (15648) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4795) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2454) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1378) 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
January33%33%32%34%
February34%36%38%33%
March32%31%32%33%
April34%35%36%38%
May37%31%25%20%
June19%21%24%26%
July27%27%27%28%
August28%28%29%31%
September33%36%37%37%
October37%34%33%35%
November34%35%35%36%
December37%37%37%36%

Neighboring states

Common questions

When do Downy Woodpeckers arrive in New York?
The Downy Woodpecker is in New York all year. It turns up on about 37% of checklists at its peak (the second week of December) and on 20% in its quietest week (early June).
When do Downy Woodpeckers leave New York?
The Downy Woodpecker does not leave New York: it is reported all year, from 20% of checklists in early June to 37% in the second week of December.
When is the best time to see a Downy Woodpecker in New York?
The Downy Woodpecker is reported most often in the second week of December, on about 37% of New York checklists.
Where in New York are Downy Woodpeckers seen most often?
By county, Yates County, Saratoga County, and Lewis County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Downy Woodpecker (counties with at least 200 checklists).