WhenToBird

Colaptes auratus · Picidae

When Do Northern Flickers Arrive in Wisconsin?

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

Northern Flickers reach Wisconsin in early March, are common by early April, peak in mid April (31% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of October.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 1-7early March
Common byApr 1-7early April
PeakApr 15-21mid April
Most gone byOct 8-14the second week of October

Best: mid April. First arrivals early March; most are gone by the second week of October. Peak: on about 31% of Wisconsin checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febrare
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novrare
  12. Decrare

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 2.0% of 27925 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.9% of 18337 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.3% of 17370 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.2% of 23777 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.9% of 16656 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.0% of 18286 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.6% of 24739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.9% of 20113 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.0% of 24024 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.8% of 26722 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.3% of 27238 checklistsMar 22-31: 7.0% of 40171 checklistsApr 1-7: 17% of 34961 checklistsApr 8-14: 30% of 39128 checklistsApr 15-21: 32% of 38887 checklistsApr 22-30: 32% of 57231 checklistsMay 1-7: 29% of 55115 checklistsMay 8-14: 24% of 63098 checklistsMay 15-21: 21% of 49821 checklistsMay 22-31: 18% of 56796 checklistsJun 1-7: 17% of 33621 checklistsJun 8-14: 17% of 31282 checklistsJun 15-21: 19% of 30186 checklistsJun 22-30: 20% of 35128 checklistsJul 1-7: 22% of 27088 checklistsJul 8-14: 23% of 23293 checklistsJul 15-21: 23% of 20933 checklistsJul 22-31: 23% of 27595 checklistsAug 1-7: 21% of 19147 checklistsAug 8-14: 20% of 18286 checklistsAug 15-21: 21% of 19195 checklistsAug 22-31: 24% of 28229 checklistsSep 1-7: 28% of 22408 checklistsSep 8-14: 32% of 20857 checklistsSep 15-21: 34% of 20707 checklistsSep 22-30: 29% of 26469 checklistsOct 1-7: 20% of 21069 checklistsOct 8-14: 13% of 21011 checklistsOct 15-21: 8.2% of 20006 checklistsOct 22-31: 5.6% of 26362 checklistsNov 1-7: 4.0% of 18928 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.2% of 17052 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.0% of 16291 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.6% of 20564 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.3% of 15354 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.5% of 16294 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.0% of 21430 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.6% of 26314 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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Taylor CountyBest the second week of September · 60 checklists that week, 4,326 in all63%
  2. Florence CountyBest early May · 268 checklists that week, 10,179 in all60%
  3. Dunn CountyBest mid September · 121 checklists that week, 8,247 in all56%
  4. Washburn CountyBest the second week of September · 208 checklists that week, 7,099 in all55%
  5. Green Lake CountyBest mid September · 146 checklists that week, 15,345 in all49%
  6. Green CountyBest early October · 31 checklists that week, 4,387 in all45%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lake Park (3)Milwaukee County, best late April · 22 checklists that week, 201 in all93%
  2. Schmeeckle Reserve (Johns Lake)Portage County, best the second week of July · 26 checklists that week, 1,322 in all88%
  3. Chiwaukee Prairie-Carol Beach Natural AreaKenosha County, best mid April · 22 checklists that week, 504 in all88%
  4. Pigeon River ParkSheboygan County, best mid April · 30 checklists that week, 562 in all86%
  5. Washington ParkMilwaukee County, best late September · 25 checklists that week, 984 in all86%

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

Best time of day

In Wisconsin, the Northern Flicker is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 am (28% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (993) to judge1 am: too few checklists (844) to judge2 am: too few checklists (839) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1488) to judge4 am: too few checklists (5344) to judge5 am: 25% of 27016 checklists6 am: 29% of 83973 checklists7 am: 23% of 160717 checklists8 am: 20% of 160531 checklists9 am: 17% of 136968 checklists10 am: 15% of 119110 checklists11 am: 12% of 99116 checklists12 pm: 11% of 85078 checklists1 pm: 11% of 80688 checklists2 pm: 11% of 79140 checklists3 pm: 11% of 78599 checklists4 pm: 13% of 69767 checklists5 pm: 16% of 53229 checklists6 pm: 15% of 38769 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24396) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (10155) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4990) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2463) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1281) 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
January2.0%1.9%2.3%2.2%
February1.9%2.0%1.6%1.9%
March2.0%2.8%3.3%7.0%
April17%30%32%32%
May29%24%21%18%
June17%17%19%20%
July22%23%23%23%
August21%20%21%24%
September28%32%34%29%
October20%13%8.2%5.6%
November4.0%3.2%3.0%2.6%
December2.3%2.5%3.0%2.6%

Neighboring states

  • Illinois: arrives late March, 3 weeks later than Wisconsin
  • Iowa: arrives early September, 24 weeks earlier than Wisconsin
  • Michigan: arrives early April, 4 weeks later than Wisconsin
  • Minnesota: arrives late August, 23 weeks later than Wisconsin

Common questions

When do Northern Flickers arrive in Wisconsin?
Northern Flickers reach Wisconsin in early March, are common by early April, peak in mid April (31% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of October.
When do Northern Flickers leave Wisconsin?
Most Northern Flickers have left Wisconsin by the second week of October, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early January.
When is the best time to see a Northern Flicker in Wisconsin?
The Northern Flicker is reported most often in mid April, on about 31% of Wisconsin checklists.
Where in Wisconsin are Northern Flickers seen most often?
By county, Taylor County, Florence County, and Dunn County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Northern Flicker (counties with at least 200 checklists).