WhenToBird

Colaptes auratus · Picidae

When Do Northern Flickers Arrive in Texas?

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

Northern Flickers are winter birds in Texas: the first arrive in mid September, they are common by early October, peak in late October (11% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 15-21mid September
Common byOct 1-7early October
PeakOct 22-31late October
Most gone byMar 8-14the second week of March

Best: late October. First arrivals mid September; most are gone by the second week of March. Peak: on about 11% of Texas checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprrare
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augrare
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 7.3% of 66038 checklistsJan 8-14: 6.4% of 52445 checklistsJan 15-21: 6.1% of 52985 checklistsJan 22-31: 6.2% of 71020 checklistsFeb 1-7: 5.9% of 52306 checklistsFeb 8-14: 5.1% of 55887 checklistsFeb 15-21: 4.5% of 69016 checklistsFeb 22-28: 5.0% of 52998 checklistsMar 1-7: 5.0% of 50836 checklistsMar 8-14: 4.7% of 51749 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.8% of 53731 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.3% of 82049 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.0% of 65854 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.5% of 78434 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.5% of 92302 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.4% of 122878 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.4% of 74592 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.4% of 61008 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.5% of 43365 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.4% of 52736 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.4% of 31643 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.4% of 30131 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.3% of 26802 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.3% of 32822 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.4% of 27213 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.4% of 24555 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.3% of 24146 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.2% of 34536 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.3% of 25764 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.6% of 26347 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.5% of 28431 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.6% of 42838 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.4% of 35070 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.4% of 33893 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.7% of 32572 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.7% of 43771 checklistsOct 1-7: 5.8% of 34143 checklistsOct 8-14: 9.6% of 37563 checklistsOct 15-21: 12% of 36263 checklistsOct 22-31: 12% of 49170 checklistsNov 1-7: 10% of 43301 checklistsNov 8-14: 8.3% of 48744 checklistsNov 15-21: 9.4% of 42213 checklistsNov 22-30: 9.8% of 54455 checklistsDec 1-7: 9.4% of 40166 checklistsDec 8-14: 9.0% of 41035 checklistsDec 15-21: 9.6% of 46983 checklistsDec 22-31: 8.7% of 73015 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 Texas 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 Texas

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hartley CountyBest mid October · 14 checklists that week, 460 in all68%
  2. Red River CountyBest the second week of November · 20 checklists that week, 1,179 in all63%
  3. Leon CountyBest mid October · 42 checklists that week, 2,456 in all59%
  4. Hutchinson CountyBest early November · 13 checklists that week, 1,115 in all59%
  5. San Augustine CountyBest mid October · 17 checklists that week, 745 in all58%
  6. Van Zandt CountyBest the second week of December · 36 checklists that week, 2,380 in all58%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Palo Duro ReservoirHansford County, best late December · 24 checklists that week, 158 in all92%
  2. One Eleven Ranch ParkDallas County, best late January · 33 checklists that week, 341 in all87%
  3. Ray Roberts Lake State ParkDenton County, best late November · 24 checklists that week, 918 in all86%
  4. Canyon Lake Number 6Lubbock County, best late October · 20 checklists that week, 466 in all82%
  5. Alazan Bayou Wildlife Management AreaNacogdoches County, best late October · 23 checklists that week, 597 in all81%

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

Best time of day

In Texas, the Northern Flicker is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (6.0% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%12 am: too few checklists (898) to judge1 am: too few checklists (756) to judge2 am: too few checklists (663) to judge3 am: too few checklists (741) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1537) to judge5 am: too few checklists (6113) to judge6 am: 4.2% of 74687 checklists7 am: 6.3% of 285131 checklists8 am: 5.8% of 329960 checklists9 am: 5.0% of 267889 checklists10 am: 4.0% of 218205 checklists11 am: 3.3% of 178879 checklists12 pm: 3.1% of 153722 checklists1 pm: 3.0% of 144662 checklists2 pm: 3.3% of 138578 checklists3 pm: 3.5% of 136878 checklists4 pm: 3.0% of 137550 checklists5 pm: 1.8% of 113599 checklists6 pm: 0.8% of 81743 checklists7 pm: 0.4% of 53396 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (17221) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4048) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1965) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (990) 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
January7.3%6.4%6.1%6.2%
February5.9%5.1%4.5%5.0%
March5.0%4.7%3.8%2.3%
April1.0%0.5%0.5%0.4%
May0.4%0.4%0.5%0.4%
June0.4%0.4%0.3%0.3%
July0.4%0.4%0.3%0.2%
August0.3%0.6%0.5%0.6%
September0.4%0.4%0.7%2.7%
October5.8%9.6%12%12%
November10%8.3%9.4%9.8%
December9.4%9.0%9.6%8.7%

Neighboring states

  • Louisiana: arrives late September, 1 week later than Texas
  • Oklahoma: arrives late September, 1 week later than Texas
  • Arkansas: arrives late September, 1 week later than Texas
  • Mississippi: arrives early October, 2 weeks later than Texas

Common questions

When do Northern Flickers arrive in Texas?
Northern Flickers are winter birds in Texas: the first arrive in mid September, they are common by early October, peak in late October (11% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.
When do Northern Flickers leave Texas?
Most Northern Flickers have left Texas by the second week of March, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early April.
When is the best time to see a Northern Flicker in Texas?
The Northern Flicker is reported most often in late October, on about 11% of Texas checklists.
Where in Texas are Northern Flickers seen most often?
By county, Hartley County, Red River County, and Leon County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Flicker (counties with at least 200 checklists).