WhenToBird

Leuconotopicus villosus · Picidae

When Do Hairy Woodpeckers Arrive in Oklahoma?

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

Hairy Woodpeckers are winter birds in Oklahoma: the first arrive in the second week of August, they are common by late August, peak in mid December (4.8% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of June.

When to look

First arrivalsAug 8-14the second week of August
Common byAug 22-31late August
PeakDec 15-21mid December
Most gone byJun 8-14the second week of June

Best: mid December. First arrivals the second week of August; most are gone by the second week of June. Peak: on about 4.8% of Oklahoma checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 3.3% of 6087 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.4% of 4350 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.3% of 4381 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.7% of 6165 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.5% of 4259 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.3% of 4589 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.1% of 7001 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.1% of 4482 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.7% of 4724 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.4% of 4571 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.2% of 4393 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.5% of 7544 checklistsApr 1-7: 3.3% of 5967 checklistsApr 8-14: 3.5% of 6543 checklistsApr 15-21: 3.4% of 7366 checklistsApr 22-30: 3.6% of 10618 checklistsMay 1-7: 3.9% of 8835 checklistsMay 8-14: 4.0% of 8247 checklistsMay 15-21: 3.8% of 6081 checklistsMay 22-31: 3.3% of 7283 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.9% of 4256 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.4% of 3774 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.6% of 3541 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.6% of 4159 checklistsJul 1-7: 1.5% of 3209 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.0% of 2916 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.2% of 2861 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.6% of 4146 checklistsAug 1-7: 1.5% of 3043 checklistsAug 8-14: 2.1% of 2839 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.4% of 3014 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.6% of 4759 checklistsSep 1-7: 4.1% of 3861 checklistsSep 8-14: 4.5% of 3748 checklistsSep 15-21: 5.1% of 3569 checklistsSep 22-30: 4.2% of 4830 checklistsOct 1-7: 3.9% of 3809 checklistsOct 8-14: 4.0% of 4142 checklistsOct 15-21: 4.3% of 3705 checklistsOct 22-31: 4.0% of 4738 checklistsNov 1-7: 4.1% of 3823 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.8% of 3849 checklistsNov 15-21: 4.1% of 3722 checklistsNov 22-30: 4.7% of 4795 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.9% of 3324 checklistsDec 8-14: 4.6% of 3574 checklistsDec 15-21: 4.6% of 3884 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.9% of 5774 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 Oklahoma 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Oklahoma

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Stephens CountyBest mid September · 14 checklists that week, 945 in all30%
  2. Cherokee CountyBest early September · 26 checklists that week, 2,266 in all29%
  3. Adair CountyBest early March · 14 checklists that week, 616 in all26%
  4. Murray CountyBest mid November · 11 checklists that week, 796 in all19%
  5. Washington CountyBest late August · 18 checklists that week, 2,263 in all19%
  6. Roger Mills CountyBest mid September · 14 checklists that week, 445 in all19%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lake Carl EtlingCimarron County, best mid September · 22 checklists that week, 413 in all26%
  2. Stinchcomb Wildlife Refuge (northeast)Oklahoma County, best late December · 23 checklists that week, 277 in all25%
  3. Lake Yahola (Flat Rock Creek)Tulsa County, best early May · 29 checklists that week, 619 in all22%
  4. CLO LandsPayne County, best the second week of December · 29 checklists that week, 1,208 in all22%

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

Best time of day

In Oklahoma, the Hairy Woodpecker is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (5.9% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%12 am: too few checklists (91) to judge1 am: too few checklists (65) to judge2 am: too few checklists (73) to judge3 am: too few checklists (73) to judge4 am: too few checklists (100) to judge5 am: too few checklists (647) to judge6 am: 6.9% of 8353 checklists7 am: 5.6% of 24509 checklists8 am: 4.6% of 27848 checklists9 am: 3.5% of 25316 checklists10 am: 3.2% of 21161 checklists11 am: 2.6% of 18730 checklists12 pm: 2.5% of 16097 checklists1 pm: 3.3% of 14028 checklists2 pm: 3.2% of 13599 checklists3 pm: 3.2% of 14228 checklists4 pm: 2.9% of 14597 checklists5 pm: 2.1% of 12125 checklists6 pm: 2.7% of 9337 checklists7 pm: 1.3% of 6944 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2403) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (459) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (226) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (141) 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
January3.3%3.4%3.3%3.7%
February3.5%3.3%3.1%3.1%
March3.7%3.4%3.2%3.5%
April3.3%3.5%3.4%3.6%
May3.9%4.0%3.8%3.3%
June2.9%2.4%2.6%2.6%
July1.5%2.0%2.2%1.6%
August1.5%2.1%2.4%2.6%
September4.1%4.5%5.1%4.2%
October3.9%4.0%4.3%4.0%
November4.1%3.8%4.1%4.7%
December4.9%4.6%4.6%4.9%

Neighboring states

  • Kansas: arrives the second week of September, 4 weeks later than Oklahoma
  • Arkansas: year-round, peaks early October
  • Missouri: year-round, peaks mid December
  • Nebraska: arrives late August, 2 weeks later than Oklahoma

Common questions

When do Hairy Woodpeckers arrive in Oklahoma?
Hairy Woodpeckers are winter birds in Oklahoma: the first arrive in the second week of August, they are common by late August, peak in mid December (4.8% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of June.
When do Hairy Woodpeckers leave Oklahoma?
Most Hairy Woodpeckers have left Oklahoma by the second week of June, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until mid July.
When is the best time to see a Hairy Woodpecker in Oklahoma?
The Hairy Woodpecker is reported most often in mid December, on about 4.8% of Oklahoma checklists.
Where in Oklahoma are Hairy Woodpeckers seen most often?
By county, Stephens County, Cherokee County, and Adair County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Hairy Woodpecker (counties with at least 200 checklists).