WhenToBird

Dryocopus pileatus · Picidae

When Do Pileated Woodpeckers Arrive in Connecticut?

Adult male Pileated Woodpecker
Photo: Marcel_Pepin, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Pileated Woodpeckers are in Connecticut all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from the second week of April, peak in early May (11% of checklists), and fall back by mid June. In the quietest week (the second week of January) they are still on about 3.9% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildApr 8-14the second week of April
PeakMay 1-7early May
Fall back byJun 15-21mid June
FewestJan 8-14the second week of January

Best: early May. Here all year; numbers build from the second week of April and fall back by mid June. Peak: on about 11% of Connecticut checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 3.9% of 18950 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.8% of 13676 checklistsJan 15-21: 4.0% of 13377 checklistsJan 22-31: 4.3% of 17004 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.8% of 10218 checklistsFeb 8-14: 4.0% of 11568 checklistsFeb 15-21: 4.0% of 15916 checklistsFeb 22-28: 4.9% of 11413 checklistsMar 1-7: 4.5% of 10754 checklistsMar 8-14: 4.9% of 12051 checklistsMar 15-21: 5.2% of 12616 checklistsMar 22-31: 5.9% of 17801 checklistsApr 1-7: 6.8% of 13186 checklistsApr 8-14: 8.3% of 14428 checklistsApr 15-21: 8.4% of 14738 checklistsApr 22-30: 9.8% of 21753 checklistsMay 1-7: 11% of 22494 checklistsMay 8-14: 11% of 23363 checklistsMay 15-21: 9.7% of 20219 checklistsMay 22-31: 9.4% of 20778 checklistsJun 1-7: 9.1% of 12234 checklistsJun 8-14: 8.5% of 12491 checklistsJun 15-21: 7.0% of 10856 checklistsJun 22-30: 6.7% of 11964 checklistsJul 1-7: 5.4% of 9437 checklistsJul 8-14: 5.2% of 8599 checklistsJul 15-21: 5.0% of 8252 checklistsJul 22-31: 4.3% of 11329 checklistsAug 1-7: 4.1% of 8116 checklistsAug 8-14: 4.6% of 8051 checklistsAug 15-21: 5.5% of 8502 checklistsAug 22-31: 6.7% of 13673 checklistsSep 1-7: 7.7% of 9873 checklistsSep 8-14: 8.9% of 9735 checklistsSep 15-21: 8.6% of 10120 checklistsSep 22-30: 7.9% of 12543 checklistsOct 1-7: 7.4% of 10735 checklistsOct 8-14: 6.2% of 10869 checklistsOct 15-21: 5.9% of 10436 checklistsOct 22-31: 5.4% of 13808 checklistsNov 1-7: 5.0% of 10507 checklistsNov 8-14: 5.1% of 9827 checklistsNov 15-21: 5.1% of 9904 checklistsNov 22-30: 4.6% of 13396 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.9% of 8974 checklistsDec 8-14: 4.4% of 9468 checklistsDec 15-21: 5.1% of 11614 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.5% of 16616 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 Connecticut 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 Connecticut

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Litchfield CountyBest early May · 2259 checklists that week, 69,766 in all18%
  2. Middlesex CountyBest late September · 774 checklists that week, 39,919 in all13%
  3. Windham CountyBest early May · 858 checklists that week, 19,034 in all12%
  4. Hartford CountyBest the second week of May · 4171 checklists that week, 105,735 in all11%
  5. New London CountyBest early May · 1919 checklists that week, 65,205 in all10%
  6. Fairfield CountyBest early May · 4881 checklists that week, 139,848 in all9.7%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Great PondHartford County, best the second week of September · 22 checklists that week, 966 in all74%
  2. Trout Brook ValleyFairfield County, best late March · 20 checklists that week, 1,588 in all60%
  3. Lake LouiseHartford County, best early May · 34 checklists that week, 260 in all56%
  4. Cranberry BogMiddlesex County, best the second week of April · 24 checklists that week, 364 in all49%
  5. Addison PondHartford County, best early June · 24 checklists that week, 691 in all49%

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

Best time of day

In Connecticut, the Pileated Woodpecker is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (9.7% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (325) to judge1 am: too few checklists (367) to judge2 am: too few checklists (488) to judge3 am: too few checklists (792) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2722) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9489) to judge6 am: 11% of 33657 checklists7 am: 9.3% of 62964 checklists8 am: 7.8% of 70645 checklists9 am: 6.5% of 64870 checklists10 am: 5.9% of 58827 checklists11 am: 5.0% of 51689 checklists12 pm: 5.0% of 45288 checklists1 pm: 5.2% of 44765 checklists2 pm: 5.4% of 44173 checklists3 pm: 5.4% of 41979 checklists4 pm: 5.3% of 33219 checklists5 pm: 6.3% of 24828 checklists6 pm: 5.4% of 15856 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (8126) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (1994) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (533) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (349) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (286) 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
January3.9%3.8%4.0%4.3%
February3.8%4.0%4.0%4.9%
March4.5%4.9%5.2%5.9%
April6.8%8.3%8.4%9.8%
May11%11%9.7%9.4%
June9.1%8.5%7.0%6.7%
July5.4%5.2%5.0%4.3%
August4.1%4.6%5.5%6.7%
September7.7%8.9%8.6%7.9%
October7.4%6.2%5.9%5.4%
November5.0%5.1%5.1%4.6%
December3.9%4.4%5.1%4.5%

Neighboring states

Common questions

When do Pileated Woodpeckers arrive in Connecticut?
Pileated Woodpeckers are in Connecticut all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from the second week of April, peak in early May (11% of checklists), and fall back by mid June. In the quietest week (the second week of January) they are still on about 3.9% of checklists.
When do Pileated Woodpeckers leave Connecticut?
Pileated Woodpeckers never fully leave Connecticut: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by mid June, but some are still reported in every week, about 3.9% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Pileated Woodpecker in Connecticut?
The Pileated Woodpecker is reported most often in early May, on about 11% of Connecticut checklists.
Where in Connecticut are Pileated Woodpeckers seen most often?
By county, Litchfield County, Middlesex County, and Windham County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Pileated Woodpecker (counties with at least 200 checklists).