WhenToBird

Colaptes auratus · Picidae

When Do Northern Flickers Arrive in New Mexico?

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

Northern Flickers are in New Mexico all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from mid September, peak in the second week of October (48% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of January. In the quietest week (early May) they are still on about 13% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildSep 15-21mid September
PeakOct 8-14the second week of October
Fall back byJan 8-14the second week of January
FewestMay 1-7early May

Best: the second week of October. Here all year; numbers build from mid September and fall back by the second week of January. Peak: on about 48% of New Mexico 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. Decpeak season

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

0%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 31% of 11827 checklistsJan 8-14: 31% of 9370 checklistsJan 15-21: 31% of 9561 checklistsJan 22-31: 30% of 12707 checklistsFeb 1-7: 28% of 9365 checklistsFeb 8-14: 29% of 10141 checklistsFeb 15-21: 29% of 12431 checklistsFeb 22-28: 29% of 9159 checklistsMar 1-7: 29% of 9348 checklistsMar 8-14: 29% of 9704 checklistsMar 15-21: 30% of 9896 checklistsMar 22-31: 28% of 14679 checklistsApr 1-7: 23% of 11145 checklistsApr 8-14: 18% of 11939 checklistsApr 15-21: 14% of 12885 checklistsApr 22-30: 13% of 17935 checklistsMay 1-7: 13% of 15202 checklistsMay 8-14: 12% of 16604 checklistsMay 15-21: 14% of 12720 checklistsMay 22-31: 15% of 16699 checklistsJun 1-7: 16% of 9889 checklistsJun 8-14: 16% of 9322 checklistsJun 15-21: 17% of 8341 checklistsJun 22-30: 17% of 10562 checklistsJul 1-7: 19% of 9036 checklistsJul 8-14: 17% of 8461 checklistsJul 15-21: 18% of 8585 checklistsJul 22-31: 17% of 11800 checklistsAug 1-7: 15% of 8289 checklistsAug 8-14: 15% of 8882 checklistsAug 15-21: 15% of 9136 checklistsAug 22-31: 17% of 12662 checklistsSep 1-7: 20% of 9936 checklistsSep 8-14: 24% of 9581 checklistsSep 15-21: 35% of 9355 checklistsSep 22-30: 47% of 12402 checklistsOct 1-7: 48% of 9467 checklistsOct 8-14: 48% of 10279 checklistsOct 15-21: 48% of 8990 checklistsOct 22-31: 46% of 11986 checklistsNov 1-7: 44% of 8461 checklistsNov 8-14: 42% of 8801 checklistsNov 15-21: 39% of 8616 checklistsNov 22-30: 37% of 11088 checklistsDec 1-7: 36% of 8444 checklistsDec 8-14: 37% of 8575 checklistsDec 15-21: 37% of 10958 checklistsDec 22-31: 35% of 14523 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 New Mexico 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 New Mexico

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Cibola CountyBest early October · 73 checklists that week, 3,986 in all65%
  2. Catron CountyBest mid October · 158 checklists that week, 6,114 in all60%
  3. Santa Fe CountyBest early October · 1232 checklists that week, 66,241 in all59%
  4. Taos CountyBest early October · 365 checklists that week, 19,175 in all58%
  5. San Juan CountyBest mid November · 66 checklists that week, 5,542 in all57%
  6. Rio Arriba CountyBest early October · 143 checklists that week, 8,526 in all56%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Caja del Rio CanyonSanta Fe County, best late September · 20 checklists that week, 471 in all100%
  2. Bosque (Los Padillas)Bernalillo County, best mid October · 24 checklists that week, 1,047 in all100%
  3. San Vicente ArroyoGrant County, best the second week of October · 35 checklists that week, 1,235 in all98%

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

Best time of day

In New Mexico, the Northern Flicker is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (35% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%40%12 am: too few checklists (186) to judge1 am: too few checklists (180) to judge2 am: too few checklists (172) to judge3 am: too few checklists (183) to judge4 am: too few checklists (527) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4013) to judge6 am: 26% of 29677 checklists7 am: 34% of 71785 checklists8 am: 35% of 79208 checklists9 am: 32% of 61605 checklists10 am: 26% of 49588 checklists11 am: 22% of 38079 checklists12 pm: 21% of 31089 checklists1 pm: 21% of 27524 checklists2 pm: 22% of 26644 checklists3 pm: 23% of 26849 checklists4 pm: 20% of 25156 checklists5 pm: 17% of 19061 checklists6 pm: 12% of 15112 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (9040) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (2738) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (736) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (384) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (208) 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
January31%31%31%30%
February28%29%29%29%
March29%29%30%28%
April23%18%14%13%
May13%12%14%15%
June16%16%17%17%
July19%17%18%17%
August15%15%15%17%
September20%24%35%47%
October48%48%48%46%
November44%42%39%37%
December36%37%37%35%

Neighboring states

  • Arizona: arrives late September, 1 week later than New Mexico
  • Colorado: year-round, peaks early October
  • Utah: arrives mid September, in the same week than New Mexico
  • Oklahoma: arrives late September, 1 week later than New Mexico

Common questions

When do Northern Flickers arrive in New Mexico?
Northern Flickers are in New Mexico all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from mid September, peak in the second week of October (48% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of January. In the quietest week (early May) they are still on about 13% of checklists.
When do Northern Flickers leave New Mexico?
Northern Flickers never fully leave New Mexico: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by the second week of January, but some are still reported in every week, about 13% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Northern Flicker in New Mexico?
The Northern Flicker is reported most often in the second week of October, on about 48% of New Mexico checklists.
Where in New Mexico are Northern Flickers seen most often?
By county, Cibola County, Catron County, and Santa Fe County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Flicker (counties with at least 200 checklists).