WhenToBird

Colaptes auratus · Picidae

When Do Northern Flickers Arrive in Ohio?

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

Northern Flickers are in Ohio all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from early September, peak in late September (35% of checklists), and fall back by late October. In the quietest week (the second week of February) they are still on about 11% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildSep 1-7early September
PeakSep 22-30late September
Fall back byOct 22-31late October
FewestFeb 8-14the second week of February

Best: late September. Here all year; numbers build from early September and fall back by late October. Peak: on about 35% of Ohio checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 13% of 46637 checklistsJan 8-14: 13% of 31056 checklistsJan 15-21: 11% of 30129 checklistsJan 22-31: 12% of 38665 checklistsFeb 1-7: 11% of 27203 checklistsFeb 8-14: 11% of 30626 checklistsFeb 15-21: 10% of 40705 checklistsFeb 22-28: 11% of 31391 checklistsMar 1-7: 13% of 32914 checklistsMar 8-14: 14% of 33973 checklistsMar 15-21: 16% of 33678 checklistsMar 22-31: 24% of 49889 checklistsApr 1-7: 33% of 41225 checklistsApr 8-14: 36% of 47174 checklistsApr 15-21: 35% of 47017 checklistsApr 22-30: 31% of 73055 checklistsMay 1-7: 26% of 80637 checklistsMay 8-14: 21% of 102552 checklistsMay 15-21: 21% of 64582 checklistsMay 22-31: 20% of 52766 checklistsJun 1-7: 21% of 29279 checklistsJun 8-14: 21% of 25773 checklistsJun 15-21: 22% of 23163 checklistsJun 22-30: 21% of 27794 checklistsJul 1-7: 21% of 23334 checklistsJul 8-14: 22% of 22147 checklistsJul 15-21: 22% of 20998 checklistsJul 22-31: 21% of 29749 checklistsAug 1-7: 19% of 22899 checklistsAug 8-14: 18% of 21972 checklistsAug 15-21: 18% of 22215 checklistsAug 22-31: 20% of 35087 checklistsSep 1-7: 23% of 29148 checklistsSep 8-14: 28% of 28042 checklistsSep 15-21: 33% of 26751 checklistsSep 22-30: 36% of 32398 checklistsOct 1-7: 36% of 26209 checklistsOct 8-14: 33% of 26809 checklistsOct 15-21: 28% of 23504 checklistsOct 22-31: 25% of 33269 checklistsNov 1-7: 23% of 25563 checklistsNov 8-14: 20% of 23810 checklistsNov 15-21: 17% of 22127 checklistsNov 22-30: 17% of 29449 checklistsDec 1-7: 15% of 22370 checklistsDec 8-14: 15% of 21581 checklistsDec 15-21: 17% of 24232 checklistsDec 22-31: 16% of 36084 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 Ohio 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 Ohio

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Putnam CountyBest late September · 10 checklists that week, 927 in all61%
  2. Champaign CountyBest mid October · 19 checklists that week, 2,549 in all59%
  3. Brown CountyBest the second week of October · 44 checklists that week, 1,793 in all58%
  4. Clark CountyBest early October · 246 checklists that week, 14,637 in all56%
  5. Coshocton CountyBest the second week of October · 32 checklists that week, 2,932 in all54%
  6. Defiance CountyBest mid September · 15 checklists that week, 1,801 in all53%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Bluffton College LakeAllen County, best the second week of October · 24 checklists that week, 759 in all93%
  2. Siebenthaler Wetlands #1Greene County, best early July · 22 checklists that week, 1,103 in all91%
  3. Glacier Ridge Metropark (northwest)Union County, best the second week of November · 21 checklists that week, 1,627 in all90%
  4. Cleveland Lakefront State Park - Gordon ParkCuyahoga County, best the second week of April · 294 checklists that week, 11,083 in all87%
  5. Buck Creek State ParkClark County, best late September · 50 checklists that week, 729 in all86%

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

Best time of day

In Ohio, the Northern Flicker is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (32% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%40%12 am: too few checklists (574) to judge1 am: too few checklists (609) to judge2 am: too few checklists (466) to judge3 am: too few checklists (478) to judge4 am: too few checklists (662) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4366) to judge6 am: 31% of 43093 checklists7 am: 32% of 142017 checklists8 am: 29% of 205296 checklists9 am: 25% of 196322 checklists10 am: 22% of 170882 checklists11 am: 19% of 144567 checklists12 pm: 17% of 126551 checklists1 pm: 17% of 117855 checklists2 pm: 17% of 112869 checklists3 pm: 17% of 109786 checklists4 pm: 17% of 103116 checklists5 pm: 18% of 78409 checklists6 pm: 18% of 56785 checklists7 pm: 14% of 37923 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (14954) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2710) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (854) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (486) 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
January13%13%11%12%
February11%11%10%11%
March13%14%16%24%
April33%36%35%31%
May26%21%21%20%
June21%21%22%21%
July21%22%22%21%
August19%18%18%20%
September23%28%33%36%
October36%33%28%25%
November23%20%17%17%
December15%15%17%16%

Neighboring states

  • West Virginia: arrives the second week of September, 1 week later than Ohio
  • Indiana: arrives the second week of September, 1 week later than Ohio
  • Michigan: arrives early April, 20 weeks earlier than Ohio
  • Kentucky: arrives mid September, 2 weeks later than Ohio

Common questions

When do Northern Flickers arrive in Ohio?
Northern Flickers are in Ohio all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from early September, peak in late September (35% of checklists), and fall back by late October. In the quietest week (the second week of February) they are still on about 11% of checklists.
When do Northern Flickers leave Ohio?
Northern Flickers never fully leave Ohio: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by late October, 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 Ohio?
The Northern Flicker is reported most often in late September, on about 35% of Ohio checklists.
Where in Ohio are Northern Flickers seen most often?
By county, Putnam County, Champaign County, and Brown County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Flicker (counties with at least 200 checklists).