WhenToBird

Melanerpes uropygialis · Picidae

When Do Gila Woodpeckers Arrive in Arizona?

Adult male Gila Woodpecker
Photo: stevemerkley, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Gila Woodpecker is in Arizona all year. It turns up on about 48% of checklists at its peak (the second week of December) and on 31% in its quietest week (early August).

When to look

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

Best: the second week of December. Here all year. Peak: on about 48% of Arizona checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  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: 46% of 34758 checklistsJan 8-14: 44% of 29835 checklistsJan 15-21: 45% of 29279 checklistsJan 22-31: 46% of 39716 checklistsFeb 1-7: 45% of 27299 checklistsFeb 8-14: 45% of 28703 checklistsFeb 15-21: 45% of 35357 checklistsFeb 22-28: 46% of 29889 checklistsMar 1-7: 46% of 29932 checklistsMar 8-14: 46% of 32982 checklistsMar 15-21: 46% of 34731 checklistsMar 22-31: 45% of 50213 checklistsApr 1-7: 42% of 35788 checklistsApr 8-14: 39% of 38087 checklistsApr 15-21: 37% of 41520 checklistsApr 22-30: 36% of 55218 checklistsMay 1-7: 36% of 39688 checklistsMay 8-14: 35% of 39398 checklistsMay 15-21: 34% of 29562 checklistsMay 22-31: 32% of 36774 checklistsJun 1-7: 32% of 21313 checklistsJun 8-14: 32% of 19129 checklistsJun 15-21: 33% of 17922 checklistsJun 22-30: 36% of 21188 checklistsJul 1-7: 35% of 17325 checklistsJul 8-14: 34% of 16463 checklistsJul 15-21: 34% of 18642 checklistsJul 22-31: 32% of 31215 checklistsAug 1-7: 29% of 28163 checklistsAug 8-14: 30% of 31329 checklistsAug 15-21: 33% of 23878 checklistsAug 22-31: 37% of 28508 checklistsSep 1-7: 40% of 20878 checklistsSep 8-14: 40% of 19671 checklistsSep 15-21: 43% of 19859 checklistsSep 22-30: 45% of 25179 checklistsOct 1-7: 46% of 19420 checklistsOct 8-14: 46% of 21925 checklistsOct 15-21: 46% of 20995 checklistsOct 22-31: 47% of 29258 checklistsNov 1-7: 48% of 21269 checklistsNov 8-14: 46% of 22753 checklistsNov 15-21: 47% of 21982 checklistsNov 22-30: 47% of 29475 checklistsDec 1-7: 49% of 20810 checklistsDec 8-14: 48% of 22229 checklistsDec 15-21: 47% of 25148 checklistsDec 22-31: 47% of 39567 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 Arizona 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 Arizona

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Maricopa CountyBest the second week of September · 3920 checklists that week, 269,896 in all66%
  2. Pima CountyBest the second week of October · 6357 checklists that week, 437,722 in all64%
  3. Santa Cruz CountyBest early October · 1562 checklists that week, 162,726 in all58%
  4. Pinal CountyBest early November · 774 checklists that week, 40,036 in all54%
  5. La Paz CountyBest late June · 67 checklists that week, 7,279 in all42%
  6. Yuma CountyBest the second week of February · 467 checklists that week, 14,687 in all40%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Mason Audubon CenterPima County, best the second week of March · 20 checklists that week, 847 in all100%
  2. Ajo Municipal AirportPima County, best mid February · 24 checklists that week, 584 in all100%
  3. Lookout Mountain ParkMaricopa County, best late January · 20 checklists that week, 645 in all100%
  4. Bear CreekPima County, best the second week of April · 27 checklists that week, 788 in all100%
  5. Villa Serena ParkPima County, best early January · 24 checklists that week, 1,209 in all100%
  6. Tanque Verde Creek (west)Pima County, best early November · 26 checklists that week, 999 in all99%

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

Best time of day

In Arizona, the Gila Woodpecker is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 am (55% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%12 am: too few checklists (488) to judge1 am: too few checklists (503) to judge2 am: too few checklists (489) to judge3 am: too few checklists (735) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4115) to judge5 am: 52% of 38350 checklists6 am: 55% of 118786 checklists7 am: 53% of 183415 checklists8 am: 48% of 187346 checklists9 am: 42% of 151342 checklists10 am: 37% of 124522 checklists11 am: 33% of 97088 checklists12 pm: 31% of 78110 checklists1 pm: 31% of 73059 checklists2 pm: 32% of 68912 checklists3 pm: 34% of 68060 checklists4 pm: 37% of 69387 checklists5 pm: 33% of 52951 checklists6 pm: 27% of 31061 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (16076) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (5352) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2369) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1100) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (604) 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
January46%44%45%46%
February45%45%45%46%
March46%46%46%45%
April42%39%37%36%
May36%35%34%32%
June32%32%33%36%
July35%34%34%32%
August29%30%33%37%
September40%40%43%45%
October46%46%46%47%
November48%46%47%47%
December49%48%47%47%

Common questions

When do Gila Woodpeckers arrive in Arizona?
The Gila Woodpecker is in Arizona all year. It turns up on about 48% of checklists at its peak (the second week of December) and on 31% in its quietest week (early August).
When do Gila Woodpeckers leave Arizona?
The Gila Woodpecker does not leave Arizona: it is reported all year, from 31% of checklists in early August to 48% in the second week of December.
When is the best time to see a Gila Woodpecker in Arizona?
The Gila Woodpecker is reported most often in the second week of December, on about 48% of Arizona checklists.
Where in Arizona are Gila Woodpeckers seen most often?
By county, Maricopa County, Pima County, and Santa Cruz County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Gila Woodpecker (counties with at least 200 checklists).