WhenToBird

Colaptes auratus · Picidae

When Do Northern Flickers Arrive in Kentucky?

Adult male Northern Flicker
Photo: Ben, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

Northern Flickers are in Kentucky all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from mid September, peak in the second week of October (37% of checklists), and fall back by mid November. In the quietest week (the second week of August) they are still on about 11% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildSep 15-21mid September
PeakOct 8-14the second week of October
Fall back byNov 15-21mid November
FewestAug 8-14the second week of August

Best: the second week of October. Here all year; numbers build from mid September and fall back by mid November. Peak: on about 37% of Kentucky checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayuncommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 18% of 6923 checklistsJan 8-14: 16% of 4900 checklistsJan 15-21: 17% of 5016 checklistsJan 22-31: 15% of 6611 checklistsFeb 1-7: 16% of 4986 checklistsFeb 8-14: 14% of 5677 checklistsFeb 15-21: 12% of 8880 checklistsFeb 22-28: 13% of 5567 checklistsMar 1-7: 15% of 5397 checklistsMar 8-14: 17% of 5462 checklistsMar 15-21: 20% of 5733 checklistsMar 22-31: 23% of 9043 checklistsApr 1-7: 26% of 6763 checklistsApr 8-14: 22% of 7498 checklistsApr 15-21: 18% of 8486 checklistsApr 22-30: 14% of 13396 checklistsMay 1-7: 11% of 10825 checklistsMay 8-14: 11% of 11495 checklistsMay 15-21: 11% of 7363 checklistsMay 22-31: 13% of 8800 checklistsJun 1-7: 13% of 5381 checklistsJun 8-14: 12% of 5244 checklistsJun 15-21: 11% of 4730 checklistsJun 22-30: 12% of 5470 checklistsJul 1-7: 13% of 4567 checklistsJul 8-14: 12% of 4287 checklistsJul 15-21: 13% of 4097 checklistsJul 22-31: 11% of 6044 checklistsAug 1-7: 11% of 4647 checklistsAug 8-14: 10% of 4256 checklistsAug 15-21: 11% of 4484 checklistsAug 22-31: 13% of 6434 checklistsSep 1-7: 15% of 5450 checklistsSep 8-14: 17% of 5157 checklistsSep 15-21: 22% of 5530 checklistsSep 22-30: 32% of 6710 checklistsOct 1-7: 36% of 5403 checklistsOct 8-14: 39% of 5943 checklistsOct 15-21: 36% of 4873 checklistsOct 22-31: 33% of 6584 checklistsNov 1-7: 30% of 5008 checklistsNov 8-14: 27% of 4677 checklistsNov 15-21: 25% of 4419 checklistsNov 22-30: 24% of 5933 checklistsDec 1-7: 21% of 4479 checklistsDec 8-14: 21% of 4687 checklistsDec 15-21: 23% of 6239 checklistsDec 22-31: 22% of 7976 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 Kentucky 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 Kentucky

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Breckinridge CountyBest late October · 11 checklists that week, 454 in all72%
  2. Estill CountyBest early January · 10 checklists that week, 382 in all68%
  3. Hancock CountyBest early November · 10 checklists that week, 230 in all67%
  4. Adair CountyBest late October · 25 checklists that week, 903 in all66%
  5. Owen CountyBest late October · 13 checklists that week, 554 in all65%
  6. Hart CountyBest late October · 45 checklists that week, 2,263 in all62%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hardy Slough PondHenderson County, best the second week of October · 20 checklists that week, 915 in all92%
  2. Parklands of Floyds ForkJefferson County, best the second week of October · 20 checklists that week, 741 in all77%
  3. Hisle Farm ParkFayette County, best early October · 34 checklists that week, 881 in all75%
  4. Willow LakeJefferson County, best early October · 36 checklists that week, 1,890 in all73%
  5. The Parklands of Floyds ForkJefferson County, best mid November · 26 checklists that week, 2,245 in all72%

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

Best time of day

In Kentucky, the Northern Flicker is most often listed on checklists started between 8 and 10 am (24% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (140) to judge1 am: too few checklists (120) to judge2 am: too few checklists (88) to judge3 am: too few checklists (95) to judge4 am: too few checklists (151) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1289) to judge6 am: 17% of 8227 checklists7 am: 22% of 24608 checklists8 am: 26% of 36577 checklists9 am: 23% of 34626 checklists10 am: 20% of 28796 checklists11 am: 17% of 22781 checklists12 pm: 16% of 19848 checklists1 pm: 16% of 19369 checklists2 pm: 16% of 19367 checklists3 pm: 16% of 19618 checklists4 pm: 15% of 19464 checklists5 pm: 13% of 16639 checklists6 pm: 12% of 12714 checklists7 pm: 9.5% of 8457 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (3447) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (684) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (267) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (158) 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
January18%16%17%15%
February16%14%12%13%
March15%17%20%23%
April26%22%18%14%
May11%11%11%13%
June13%12%11%12%
July13%12%13%11%
August11%10%11%13%
September15%17%22%32%
October36%39%36%33%
November30%27%25%24%
December21%21%23%22%

Neighboring states

  • Tennessee: arrives late September, 1 week later than Kentucky
  • Indiana: arrives the second week of September, 1 week earlier than Kentucky
  • Ohio: arrives early September, 2 weeks earlier than Kentucky
  • Illinois: arrives late March, 23 weeks earlier than Kentucky

Common questions

When do Northern Flickers arrive in Kentucky?
Northern Flickers are in Kentucky all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from mid September, peak in the second week of October (37% of checklists), and fall back by mid November. In the quietest week (the second week of August) they are still on about 11% of checklists.
When do Northern Flickers leave Kentucky?
Northern Flickers never fully leave Kentucky: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by mid November, but some are still reported in every week, about 11% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Northern Flicker in Kentucky?
The Northern Flicker is reported most often in the second week of October, on about 37% of Kentucky checklists.
Where in Kentucky are Northern Flickers seen most often?
By county, Breckinridge County, Estill County, and Hancock County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Flicker (counties with at least 200 checklists).