WhenToBird

Dryocopus pileatus · Picidae

When Do Pileated Woodpeckers Arrive in Kentucky?

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

The Pileated Woodpecker is in Kentucky all year. It turns up on about 19% of checklists at its peak (mid September) and on 8.3% in its quietest week (the second week of February).

When to look

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

Best: mid September. Here all year. Peak: on about 19% of Kentucky checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  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%5%10%15%20%Jan 1-7: 9.8% of 6923 checklistsJan 8-14: 9.0% of 4900 checklistsJan 15-21: 8.1% of 5016 checklistsJan 22-31: 8.7% of 6611 checklistsFeb 1-7: 9.4% of 4986 checklistsFeb 8-14: 7.9% of 5677 checklistsFeb 15-21: 7.9% of 8880 checklistsFeb 22-28: 9.3% of 5567 checklistsMar 1-7: 11% of 5397 checklistsMar 8-14: 12% of 5462 checklistsMar 15-21: 13% of 5733 checklistsMar 22-31: 14% of 9043 checklistsApr 1-7: 17% of 6763 checklistsApr 8-14: 17% of 7498 checklistsApr 15-21: 17% of 8486 checklistsApr 22-30: 17% of 13396 checklistsMay 1-7: 16% of 10825 checklistsMay 8-14: 15% of 11495 checklistsMay 15-21: 16% of 7363 checklistsMay 22-31: 15% of 8800 checklistsJun 1-7: 13% of 5381 checklistsJun 8-14: 12% of 5244 checklistsJun 15-21: 11% of 4730 checklistsJun 22-30: 8.8% of 5470 checklistsJul 1-7: 10% of 4567 checklistsJul 8-14: 8.5% of 4287 checklistsJul 15-21: 8.1% of 4097 checklistsJul 22-31: 9.1% of 6044 checklistsAug 1-7: 9.4% of 4647 checklistsAug 8-14: 9.5% of 4256 checklistsAug 15-21: 10% of 4484 checklistsAug 22-31: 13% of 6434 checklistsSep 1-7: 17% of 5450 checklistsSep 8-14: 18% of 5157 checklistsSep 15-21: 20% of 5530 checklistsSep 22-30: 18% of 6710 checklistsOct 1-7: 17% of 5403 checklistsOct 8-14: 16% of 5943 checklistsOct 15-21: 14% of 4873 checklistsOct 22-31: 13% of 6584 checklistsNov 1-7: 13% of 5008 checklistsNov 8-14: 13% of 4677 checklistsNov 15-21: 12% of 4419 checklistsNov 22-30: 12% of 5933 checklistsDec 1-7: 11% of 4479 checklistsDec 8-14: 11% of 4687 checklistsDec 15-21: 12% of 6239 checklistsDec 22-31: 12% of 7976 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 Kentucky 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Kentucky

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Estill CountyBest late November · 10 checklists that week, 382 in all72%
  2. Lee CountyBest mid April · 11 checklists that week, 208 in all59%
  3. Wolfe CountyBest late September · 19 checklists that week, 1,109 in all58%
  4. McCreary CountyBest the second week of September · 25 checklists that week, 847 in all56%
  5. Breckinridge CountyBest late October · 11 checklists that week, 454 in all56%
  6. Menifee CountyBest early April · 13 checklists that week, 437 in all56%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Harrods Creek ParkJefferson County, best late September · 34 checklists that week, 699 in all81%
  2. Henderson County Preserve 01Henderson County, best mid September · 45 checklists that week, 955 in all79%
  3. John James Audubon State ParkHenderson County, best early April · 36 checklists that week, 878 in all71%
  4. Mammoth Cave National Park (Adwell Spring)Edmonson County, best the second week of April · 41 checklists that week, 428 in all67%
  5. Hardy Slough PondHenderson County, best early October · 23 checklists that week, 915 in all65%
  6. Middle Creek ParkBoone County, best late April · 33 checklists that week, 231 in all64%

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

Best time of day

In Kentucky, the Pileated Woodpecker is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (18% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%12 am: too few checklists (140) to judge1 am: too few checklists (120) to judge2 am: too few checklists (88) to judge3 am: too few checklists (95) to judge4 am: too few checklists (151) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1289) to judge6 am: 19% of 8227 checklists7 am: 18% of 24608 checklists8 am: 17% of 36577 checklists9 am: 16% of 34626 checklists10 am: 15% of 28796 checklists11 am: 13% of 22781 checklists12 pm: 11% of 19848 checklists1 pm: 11% of 19369 checklists2 pm: 10% of 19367 checklists3 pm: 9.6% of 19618 checklists4 pm: 9.2% of 19464 checklists5 pm: 9.1% of 16639 checklists6 pm: 9.8% of 12714 checklists7 pm: 8.2% of 8457 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (3447) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (684) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (267) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (158) 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
January9.8%9.0%8.1%8.7%
February9.4%7.9%7.9%9.3%
March11%12%13%14%
April17%17%17%17%
May16%15%16%15%
June13%12%11%8.8%
July10%8.5%8.1%9.1%
August9.4%9.5%10%13%
September17%18%20%18%
October17%16%14%13%
November13%13%12%12%
December11%11%12%12%

Neighboring states

  • Tennessee: all year, most in fall, peaks mid September
  • Indiana: year-round, peaks late April
  • Ohio: year-round, peaks mid April
  • Illinois: year-round, peaks the second week of September

Common questions

When do Pileated Woodpeckers arrive in Kentucky?
The Pileated Woodpecker is in Kentucky all year. It turns up on about 19% of checklists at its peak (mid September) and on 8.3% in its quietest week (the second week of February).
When do Pileated Woodpeckers leave Kentucky?
The Pileated Woodpecker does not leave Kentucky: it is reported all year, from 8.3% of checklists in the second week of February to 19% in mid September.
When is the best time to see a Pileated Woodpecker in Kentucky?
The Pileated Woodpecker is reported most often in mid September, on about 19% of Kentucky checklists.
Where in Kentucky are Pileated Woodpeckers seen most often?
By county, Estill County, Lee County, and Wolfe County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Pileated Woodpecker (counties with at least 200 checklists).