WhenToBird

Leuconotopicus villosus · Picidae

When Do Hairy Woodpeckers Arrive in Nebraska?

Adult male Hairy Woodpecker
Photo: yongestation, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Hairy Woodpeckers are in Nebraska all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from late August, peak in late December (12% of checklists), and fall back by late February. In the quietest week (the second week of July) they are still on about 3.8% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildAug 22-31late August
PeakDec 22-31late December
Fall back byFeb 22-28late February
FewestJul 8-14the second week of July

Best: late December. Here all year; numbers build from late August and fall back by late February. Peak: on about 12% of Nebraska checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 11% of 4210 checklistsJan 8-14: 11% of 2891 checklistsJan 15-21: 11% of 2685 checklistsJan 22-31: 11% of 3834 checklistsFeb 1-7: 9.9% of 2803 checklistsFeb 8-14: 11% of 3134 checklistsFeb 15-21: 10% of 4508 checklistsFeb 22-28: 7.6% of 3238 checklistsMar 1-7: 7.4% of 3862 checklistsMar 8-14: 6.0% of 4894 checklistsMar 15-21: 5.3% of 5862 checklistsMar 22-31: 5.0% of 8598 checklistsApr 1-7: 6.0% of 5530 checklistsApr 8-14: 5.7% of 5528 checklistsApr 15-21: 6.3% of 6091 checklistsApr 22-30: 6.5% of 8661 checklistsMay 1-7: 8.5% of 9842 checklistsMay 8-14: 8.5% of 10044 checklistsMay 15-21: 8.0% of 8863 checklistsMay 22-31: 6.2% of 10207 checklistsJun 1-7: 5.2% of 4922 checklistsJun 8-14: 4.6% of 4054 checklistsJun 15-21: 4.6% of 3680 checklistsJun 22-30: 4.0% of 4349 checklistsJul 1-7: 3.8% of 3277 checklistsJul 8-14: 4.2% of 2803 checklistsJul 15-21: 3.3% of 2842 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.8% of 3920 checklistsAug 1-7: 4.2% of 2981 checklistsAug 8-14: 4.6% of 2819 checklistsAug 15-21: 4.9% of 3179 checklistsAug 22-31: 8.2% of 4599 checklistsSep 1-7: 9.9% of 3958 checklistsSep 8-14: 10% of 3460 checklistsSep 15-21: 9.0% of 3435 checklistsSep 22-30: 8.5% of 4975 checklistsOct 1-7: 8.3% of 3611 checklistsOct 8-14: 9.1% of 3605 checklistsOct 15-21: 7.2% of 3474 checklistsOct 22-31: 8.4% of 4352 checklistsNov 1-7: 9.1% of 3119 checklistsNov 8-14: 7.7% of 2887 checklistsNov 15-21: 9.3% of 2568 checklistsNov 22-30: 9.7% of 3506 checklistsDec 1-7: 8.7% of 2453 checklistsDec 8-14: 10% of 2756 checklistsDec 15-21: 11% of 3760 checklistsDec 22-31: 13% 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. Dixon CountyBest late November · 32 checklists that week, 1,619 in all46%
  2. Fillmore CountyBest mid January · 11 checklists that week, 503 in all38%
  3. Red Willow CountyBest late February · 15 checklists that week, 594 in all38%
  4. Brown CountyBest late February · 13 checklists that week, 660 in all33%
  5. Burt CountyBest the second week of November · 13 checklists that week, 1,011 in all30%
  6. Wayne CountyBest the second week of February · 34 checklists that week, 1,960 in all30%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Fontenelle Forest Association Local Resource Management AreaSarpy County, best early January · 20 checklists that week, 1,623 in all51%
  2. Chadron State ParkDawes County, best the second week of September · 40 checklists that week, 425 in all51%
  3. Hummel ParkDouglas County, best early May · 28 checklists that week, 181 in all49%
  4. Fontenelle Forest Association Local Resource Management Area (Old Home Creek)Sarpy County, best mid December · 20 checklists that week, 1,592 in all49%
  5. Pierce Milling Plant ReservoirCherry County, best early May · 24 checklists that week, 175 in all49%
  6. Wilderness Park (south 2)Lancaster County, best early September · 20 checklists that week, 293 in all45%

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

Best time of day

In Nebraska, the Hairy Woodpecker is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (9.4% of those checklists).

0%5%10%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: 8.6% of 6945 checklists7 am: 9.7% of 19066 checklists8 am: 9.2% of 24661 checklists9 am: 8.6% of 23438 checklists10 am: 7.5% of 20424 checklists11 am: 7.4% of 16727 checklists12 pm: 6.5% of 14774 checklists1 pm: 7.3% of 14443 checklists2 pm: 7.4% of 14830 checklists3 pm: 7.2% of 14445 checklists4 pm: 6.5% of 13353 checklists5 pm: 5.3% of 10506 checklists6 pm: 5.3% of 9208 checklists7 pm: 3.6% 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
January11%11%11%11%
February9.9%11%10%7.6%
March7.4%6.0%5.3%5.0%
April6.0%5.7%6.3%6.5%
May8.5%8.5%8.0%6.2%
June5.2%4.6%4.6%4.0%
July3.8%4.2%3.3%3.8%
August4.2%4.6%4.9%8.2%
September9.9%10%9.0%8.5%
October8.3%9.1%7.2%8.4%
November9.1%7.7%9.3%9.7%
December8.7%10%11%13%

Neighboring states

  • Kansas: arrives the second week of September, 2 weeks later than Nebraska
  • South Dakota: arrives late October, 8 weeks later than Nebraska
  • Iowa: year-round, peaks mid December
  • Missouri: year-round, peaks mid December

Common questions

When do Hairy Woodpeckers arrive in Nebraska?
Hairy Woodpeckers are in Nebraska all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from late August, peak in late December (12% of checklists), and fall back by late February. In the quietest week (the second week of July) they are still on about 3.8% of checklists.
When do Hairy Woodpeckers leave Nebraska?
Hairy Woodpeckers never fully leave Nebraska: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by late February, but some are still reported in every week, about 3.8% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Hairy Woodpecker in Nebraska?
The Hairy Woodpecker is reported most often in late December, on about 12% of Nebraska checklists.
Where in Nebraska are Hairy Woodpeckers seen most often?
By county, Dixon County, Fillmore County, and Red Willow County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Hairy Woodpecker (counties with at least 200 checklists).