WhenToBird

Dryocopus pileatus · Picidae

When Do Pileated Woodpeckers Arrive in Florida?

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

The Pileated Woodpecker is in Florida all year. It turns up on about 24% of checklists at its peak (mid September) and on 12% in its quietest week (the second week of June).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekSep 15-21mid September
Quietest weekJun 8-14the second week of June

Best: mid September. Here all year. Peak: on about 24% of Florida checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 12% of 74446 checklistsJan 8-14: 12% of 60074 checklistsJan 15-21: 12% of 62945 checklistsJan 22-31: 12% of 84954 checklistsFeb 1-7: 13% of 59204 checklistsFeb 8-14: 14% of 63259 checklistsFeb 15-21: 13% of 77150 checklistsFeb 22-28: 15% of 62850 checklistsMar 1-7: 15% of 58560 checklistsMar 8-14: 15% of 57756 checklistsMar 15-21: 16% of 54898 checklistsMar 22-31: 17% of 76702 checklistsApr 1-7: 17% of 55096 checklistsApr 8-14: 18% of 55892 checklistsApr 15-21: 18% of 59358 checklistsApr 22-30: 17% of 73124 checklistsMay 1-7: 16% of 47915 checklistsMay 8-14: 15% of 44114 checklistsMay 15-21: 15% of 31858 checklistsMay 22-31: 14% of 40723 checklistsJun 1-7: 12% of 31668 checklistsJun 8-14: 12% of 27802 checklistsJun 15-21: 12% of 26698 checklistsJun 22-30: 12% of 32346 checklistsJul 1-7: 13% of 23826 checklistsJul 8-14: 13% of 23071 checklistsJul 15-21: 14% of 22903 checklistsJul 22-31: 15% of 32952 checklistsAug 1-7: 15% of 25093 checklistsAug 8-14: 18% of 24888 checklistsAug 15-21: 19% of 26030 checklistsAug 22-31: 20% of 38612 checklistsSep 1-7: 22% of 31023 checklistsSep 8-14: 23% of 30022 checklistsSep 15-21: 24% of 31611 checklistsSep 22-30: 24% of 42108 checklistsOct 1-7: 23% of 36219 checklistsOct 8-14: 21% of 43113 checklistsOct 15-21: 20% of 40987 checklistsOct 22-31: 18% of 53457 checklistsNov 1-7: 16% of 38587 checklistsNov 8-14: 14% of 39208 checklistsNov 15-21: 13% of 39729 checklistsNov 22-30: 13% of 54965 checklistsDec 1-7: 13% of 42070 checklistsDec 8-14: 13% of 43424 checklistsDec 15-21: 13% of 50581 checklistsDec 22-31: 12% of 82405 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 Florida 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 Florida

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Washington CountyBest the second week of September · 20 checklists that week, 1,773 in all63%
  2. Liberty CountyBest late September · 12 checklists that week, 1,141 in all62%
  3. Columbia CountyBest late September · 87 checklists that week, 5,568 in all58%
  4. Madison CountyBest the second week of August · 13 checklists that week, 1,783 in all56%
  5. Jefferson CountyBest mid September · 53 checklists that week, 4,323 in all52%
  6. Putnam CountyBest early October · 76 checklists that week, 4,966 in all52%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway State Recreation and Conservation AreaMarion County, best late September · 43 checklists that week, 273 in all94%
  2. Newnans Lake State ForestAlachua County, best early September · 38 checklists that week, 553 in all93%
  3. Turkey Creek Hammock PreserveAlachua County, best late September · 53 checklists that week, 815 in all92%
  4. Carter PondMarion County, best late October · 56 checklists that week, 1,678 in all92%
  5. Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem WatershedCollier County, best late August · 24 checklists that week, 2,001 in all92%
  6. Crosby SanctuaryClay County, best late September · 49 checklists that week, 556 in all92%

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

Best time of day

In Florida, the Pileated Woodpecker is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (26% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (771) to judge1 am: too few checklists (771) to judge2 am: too few checklists (701) to judge3 am: too few checklists (752) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1378) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9462) to judge6 am: 25% of 94591 checklists7 am: 26% of 296183 checklists8 am: 21% of 319987 checklists9 am: 16% of 254830 checklists10 am: 12% of 209480 checklists11 am: 10% of 163924 checklists12 pm: 9.5% of 133478 checklists1 pm: 9.2% of 125012 checklists2 pm: 9.5% of 125299 checklists3 pm: 10% of 131072 checklists4 pm: 11% of 134410 checklists5 pm: 12% of 113373 checklists6 pm: 12% of 69886 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (37509) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (8966) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2093) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1485) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (862) 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
January12%12%12%12%
February13%14%13%15%
March15%15%16%17%
April17%18%18%17%
May16%15%15%14%
June12%12%12%12%
July13%13%14%15%
August15%18%19%20%
September22%23%24%24%
October23%21%20%18%
November16%14%13%13%
December13%13%13%12%

Neighboring states

  • Georgia: year-round, peaks late September
  • South Carolina: year-round, peaks late September
  • Alabama: all year, most in fall, peaks mid September
  • Mississippi: all year, most in fall, peaks late September

Common questions

When do Pileated Woodpeckers arrive in Florida?
The Pileated Woodpecker is in Florida all year. It turns up on about 24% of checklists at its peak (mid September) and on 12% in its quietest week (the second week of June).
When do Pileated Woodpeckers leave Florida?
The Pileated Woodpecker does not leave Florida: it is reported all year, from 12% of checklists in the second week of June to 24% in mid September.
When is the best time to see a Pileated Woodpecker in Florida?
The Pileated Woodpecker is reported most often in mid September, on about 24% of Florida checklists.
Where in Florida are Pileated Woodpeckers seen most often?
By county, Washington County, Liberty County, and Columbia County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Pileated Woodpecker (counties with at least 200 checklists).