WhenToBird

Dryocopus pileatus · Picidae

When Do Pileated Woodpeckers Arrive in Kansas?

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

Pileated Woodpeckers are in Kansas all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from mid April, peak in the second week of May (5.7% of checklists), and fall back by late May. In the quietest week (early July) they are still on about 2.1% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildApr 15-21mid April
PeakMay 8-14the second week of May
Fall back byMay 22-31late May
FewestJul 1-7early July

Best: the second week of May. Here all year; numbers build from mid April and fall back by late May. Peak: on about 5.7% of Kansas checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  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%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 3.5% of 8683 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.8% of 5710 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.8% of 5453 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.9% of 7868 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.4% of 5579 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.0% of 6307 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.7% of 7830 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.0% of 6124 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.9% of 6442 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.4% of 6925 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.2% of 7257 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.3% of 11527 checklistsApr 1-7: 3.4% of 8908 checklistsApr 8-14: 3.5% of 11070 checklistsApr 15-21: 3.7% of 11050 checklistsApr 22-30: 4.9% of 16381 checklistsMay 1-7: 5.7% of 15899 checklistsMay 8-14: 5.6% of 15349 checklistsMay 15-21: 5.7% of 10474 checklistsMay 22-31: 3.8% of 11264 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.9% of 6783 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.9% of 5654 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.5% of 4716 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.1% of 6232 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.3% of 5073 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.9% of 4528 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.1% of 4210 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.5% of 5986 checklistsAug 1-7: 2.7% of 4661 checklistsAug 8-14: 3.6% of 4762 checklistsAug 15-21: 3.3% of 4823 checklistsAug 22-31: 3.8% of 7214 checklistsSep 1-7: 5.2% of 5989 checklistsSep 8-14: 4.8% of 5549 checklistsSep 15-21: 4.4% of 5255 checklistsSep 22-30: 4.4% of 7370 checklistsOct 1-7: 4.9% of 5829 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.7% of 6183 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.6% of 5504 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.7% of 7289 checklistsNov 1-7: 2.9% of 5535 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.3% of 5462 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.5% of 4929 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.8% of 6627 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.4% of 4670 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.4% of 4805 checklistsDec 15-21: 5.2% of 6341 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.6% of 8186 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 Kansas 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 Kansas

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Chautauqua CountyBest late November · 29 checklists that week, 723 in all43%
  2. Linn CountyBest mid September · 26 checklists that week, 2,601 in all32%
  3. Neosho CountyBest the second week of September · 18 checklists that week, 2,366 in all29%
  4. Franklin CountyBest the second week of September · 16 checklists that week, 2,039 in all29%
  5. Woodson CountyBest early September · 10 checklists that week, 713 in all28%
  6. Cowley CountyBest mid May · 98 checklists that week, 2,097 in all26%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Rice WoodlandDouglas County, best the second week of May · 28 checklists that week, 132 in all55%
  2. Marais Des Cygne Wildlife AreaLinn County, best the second week of May · 20 checklists that week, 470 in all51%
  3. Phiel CreekRiley County, best late April · 40 checklists that week, 309 in all49%
  4. Cedar Niles (Future)Johnson County, best the second week of May · 32 checklists that week, 315 in all47%
  5. Neosho Wildlife AreaNeosho County, best late August · 25 checklists that week, 676 in all46%

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

Best time of day

In Kansas, the Pileated Woodpecker is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (6.6% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%12 am: too few checklists (150) to judge1 am: too few checklists (119) to judge2 am: too few checklists (97) to judge3 am: too few checklists (94) to judge4 am: too few checklists (124) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1459) to judge6 am: 7.5% of 12550 checklists7 am: 6.3% of 34128 checklists8 am: 5.2% of 45960 checklists9 am: 4.5% of 37806 checklists10 am: 3.6% of 32102 checklists11 am: 2.9% of 25896 checklists12 pm: 2.6% of 24203 checklists1 pm: 2.8% of 20269 checklists2 pm: 2.9% of 20772 checklists3 pm: 2.6% of 20978 checklists4 pm: 2.0% of 22094 checklists5 pm: 1.9% of 17739 checklists6 pm: 2.2% of 13963 checklists7 pm: 2.0% of 10110 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (4188) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (968) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (325) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (171) 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
January3.5%2.8%2.8%2.9%
February3.4%3.0%2.7%3.0%
March2.9%3.4%3.2%3.3%
April3.4%3.5%3.7%4.9%
May5.7%5.6%5.7%3.8%
June2.9%2.9%2.5%2.1%
July2.3%1.9%2.1%2.5%
August2.7%3.6%3.3%3.8%
September5.2%4.8%4.4%4.4%
October4.9%3.7%3.6%2.7%
November2.9%3.3%3.5%3.8%
December3.4%3.4%5.2%3.6%

Neighboring states

  • Nebraska: arrives early November, 22 weeks earlier than Kansas
  • Oklahoma: year-round, peaks the second week of September
  • Missouri: year-round, peaks mid September
  • Arkansas: year-round, peaks mid September

Common questions

When do Pileated Woodpeckers arrive in Kansas?
Pileated Woodpeckers are in Kansas all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from mid April, peak in the second week of May (5.7% of checklists), and fall back by late May. In the quietest week (early July) they are still on about 2.1% of checklists.
When do Pileated Woodpeckers leave Kansas?
Pileated Woodpeckers never fully leave Kansas: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by late May, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.1% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Pileated Woodpecker in Kansas?
The Pileated Woodpecker is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 5.7% of Kansas checklists.
Where in Kansas are Pileated Woodpeckers seen most often?
By county, Chautauqua County, Linn County, and Neosho County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Pileated Woodpecker (counties with at least 200 checklists).