WhenToBird

Dryobates scalaris · Picidae

When Do Ladder-backed Woodpeckers Arrive in Oklahoma?

Adult female Ladder-backed Woodpecker
Photo: Irene, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Ladder-backed Woodpeckers arrive in Oklahoma in mid August, peak in the second week of September (1.2% of checklists), and most are gone by early August.

When to look

First arrivalsAug 15-21mid August
Common byAug 15-21mid August
PeakSep 8-14the second week of September
Most gone byAug 1-7early August

Best: the second week of September. First arrivals mid August; most are gone by early August. Peak: on about 1.2% of Oklahoma checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%Jan 1-7: 0.8% of 6087 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.4% of 4350 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.6% of 4381 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.7% of 6165 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.5% of 4259 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.5% of 4589 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.5% of 7001 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.4% of 4482 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.4% of 4724 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.4% of 4571 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.3% of 4393 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.3% of 7544 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.4% of 5967 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.3% of 6543 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.5% of 7366 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.4% of 10618 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.6% of 8835 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.4% of 8247 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.7% of 6081 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.8% of 7283 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.8% of 4256 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.9% of 3774 checklistsJun 15-21: 1.0% of 3541 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.8% of 4159 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.6% of 3209 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.3% of 2916 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.3% of 2861 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.5% of 4146 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.2% of 3043 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.2% of 2839 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.3% of 3014 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.5% of 4759 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.3% of 3861 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.4% of 3748 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.9% of 3569 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.4% of 4830 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.7% of 3809 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.5% of 4142 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.4% of 3705 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.3% of 4738 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.3% of 3823 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.3% of 3849 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.3% of 3722 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.5% of 4795 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.8% of 3324 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.3% of 3574 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.5% of 3884 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.8% 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.

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Where in Oklahoma

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Kiowa CountyBest mid March · 12 checklists that week, 354 in all26%
  2. Greer CountyBest the second week of March · 15 checklists that week, 390 in all26%
  3. Cimarron CountyBest the second week of September · 211 checklists that week, 5,146 in all17%
  4. Harmon CountyBest mid February · 17 checklists that week, 340 in all14%
  5. Jackson CountyBest the second week of March · 24 checklists that week, 3,020 in all14%
  6. Beckham CountyBest mid July · 12 checklists that week, 483 in all13%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lake Carl EtlingCimarron County, best early September · 27 checklists that week, 413 in all38%
  2. Carl Etling Public Fishing AreaCimarron County, best early September · 27 checklists that week, 497 in all26%
  3. CLO Lands (Kenton)Cimarron County, best the second week of September · 20 checklists that week, 329 in all24%
  4. Glass Mountains State ParkMajor County, best early December · 20 checklists that week, 149 in all13%
  5. Sun Set PoolComanche County, best early May · 30 checklists that week, 312 in all3.7%
  6. Quanah Parker LakeComanche County, best late April · 25 checklists that week, 296 in all3.2%

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

Best time of day

In Oklahoma, the Ladder-backed Woodpecker is most often listed on checklists started between 8 and 10 am (0.7% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%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: 0.9% of 8353 checklists7 am: 0.6% of 24509 checklists8 am: 0.7% of 27848 checklists9 am: 0.6% of 25316 checklists10 am: 0.6% of 21161 checklists11 am: 0.6% of 18730 checklists12 pm: 0.6% of 16097 checklists1 pm: 0.6% of 14028 checklists2 pm: 0.6% of 13599 checklists3 pm: 0.4% of 14228 checklists4 pm: 0.3% of 14597 checklists5 pm: 0.2% of 12125 checklists6 pm: 0.3% of 9337 checklists7 pm: 0.3% 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
January0.8%0.4%0.6%0.7%
February0.5%0.5%0.5%0.4%
March0.4%0.4%0.3%0.3%
April0.4%0.3%0.5%0.4%
May0.6%0.4%0.7%0.8%
June0.8%0.9%1.0%0.8%
July0.6%0.3%0.3%0.5%
August0.2%0.2%0.3%0.5%
September1.3%1.4%0.9%0.4%
October0.7%0.5%0.4%0.3%
November0.3%0.3%0.3%0.5%
December0.8%0.3%0.5%0.8%

Neighboring states

  • Texas: year-round, peaks the second week of November
  • New Mexico: year-round, peaks the second week of September
  • Arizona: year-round, peaks mid December
  • Utah: arrives the second week of August, 1 week earlier than Oklahoma

Common questions

When do Ladder-backed Woodpeckers arrive in Oklahoma?
Ladder-backed Woodpeckers arrive in Oklahoma in mid August, peak in the second week of September (1.2% of checklists), and most are gone by early August.
When do Ladder-backed Woodpeckers leave Oklahoma?
Most Ladder-backed Woodpeckers have left Oklahoma by early August, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Ladder-backed Woodpecker in Oklahoma?
The Ladder-backed Woodpecker is reported most often in the second week of September, on about 1.2% of Oklahoma checklists.
Where in Oklahoma are Ladder-backed Woodpeckers seen most often?
By county, Kiowa County, Greer County, and Cimarron County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Ladder-backed Woodpecker (counties with at least 200 checklists).