WhenToBird

Dryocopus pileatus · Picidae

When Do Pileated Woodpeckers Arrive in Louisiana?

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

The Pileated Woodpecker is in Louisiana all year. It turns up on about 14% of checklists at its peak (the second week of September) and on 7.3% in its quietest week (mid January).

When to look

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

Best: the second week of September. Here all year. Peak: on about 14% of Louisiana checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 7.9% of 8384 checklistsJan 8-14: 7.2% of 6265 checklistsJan 15-21: 7.2% of 6825 checklistsJan 22-31: 7.5% of 8776 checklistsFeb 1-7: 8.4% of 5956 checklistsFeb 8-14: 7.0% of 6291 checklistsFeb 15-21: 7.5% of 8044 checklistsFeb 22-28: 9.8% of 5946 checklistsMar 1-7: 9.9% of 5981 checklistsMar 8-14: 11% of 6307 checklistsMar 15-21: 11% of 6747 checklistsMar 22-31: 12% of 10487 checklistsApr 1-7: 11% of 8037 checklistsApr 8-14: 10% of 9577 checklistsApr 15-21: 8.9% of 11372 checklistsApr 22-30: 8.1% of 14344 checklistsMay 1-7: 9.8% of 8193 checklistsMay 8-14: 9.2% of 6823 checklistsMay 15-21: 9.4% of 4818 checklistsMay 22-31: 13% of 6206 checklistsJun 1-7: 10% of 3660 checklistsJun 8-14: 10% of 3455 checklistsJun 15-21: 9.9% of 3084 checklistsJun 22-30: 9.0% of 3904 checklistsJul 1-7: 10% of 3240 checklistsJul 8-14: 8.1% of 3235 checklistsJul 15-21: 10% of 3167 checklistsJul 22-31: 11% of 4328 checklistsAug 1-7: 11% of 3192 checklistsAug 8-14: 11% of 3394 checklistsAug 15-21: 12% of 3502 checklistsAug 22-31: 12% of 5658 checklistsSep 1-7: 14% of 4366 checklistsSep 8-14: 13% of 4648 checklistsSep 15-21: 13% of 4369 checklistsSep 22-30: 14% of 6418 checklistsOct 1-7: 13% of 5375 checklistsOct 8-14: 13% of 6213 checklistsOct 15-21: 10% of 5553 checklistsOct 22-31: 9.1% of 8879 checklistsNov 1-7: 9.4% of 6231 checklistsNov 8-14: 8.6% of 5011 checklistsNov 15-21: 8.0% of 4856 checklistsNov 22-30: 8.8% of 6696 checklistsDec 1-7: 8.0% of 4530 checklistsDec 8-14: 7.4% of 4883 checklistsDec 15-21: 8.4% of 5833 checklistsDec 22-31: 8.5% of 9940 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 Louisiana 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 Louisiana

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. East Carroll ParishBest mid April · 16 checklists that week, 317 in all78%
  2. La Salle ParishBest late October · 10 checklists that week, 847 in all71%
  3. Lincoln ParishBest the second week of July · 42 checklists that week, 2,271 in all64%
  4. Bienville ParishBest late December · 11 checklists that week, 333 in all59%
  5. Catahoula ParishBest late January · 13 checklists that week, 464 in all58%
  6. Washington ParishBest late September · 17 checklists that week, 975 in all55%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lincoln Parish ParkLincoln Parish, best mid July · 23 checklists that week, 528 in all89%
  2. Flonacher Road ParkEast Baton Rouge Parish, best late September · 27 checklists that week, 793 in all89%
  3. Sam Houston Jones State Park District IICalcasieu Parish, best late October · 26 checklists that week, 558 in all82%
  4. Acadiana ParkLafayette Parish, best late September · 24 checklists that week, 491 in all75%
  5. Pearl River Wildlife Management AreaSt. Tammany Parish, best the second week of April · 47 checklists that week, 505 in all75%
  6. Lake la PointeSt. Martin Parish, best the second week of October · 28 checklists that week, 1,443 in all74%

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

Best time of day

In Louisiana, the Pileated Woodpecker is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (17% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%12 am: too few checklists (110) to judge1 am: too few checklists (95) to judge2 am: too few checklists (78) to judge3 am: too few checklists (145) to judge4 am: too few checklists (266) to judge5 am: too few checklists (2981) to judge6 am: 15% of 21115 checklists7 am: 17% of 38843 checklists8 am: 13% of 36306 checklists9 am: 10% of 31934 checklists10 am: 7.5% of 27208 checklists11 am: 6.6% of 20733 checklists12 pm: 5.8% of 18505 checklists1 pm: 5.5% of 17383 checklists2 pm: 6.0% of 17422 checklists3 pm: 6.7% of 17005 checklists4 pm: 6.4% of 17170 checklists5 pm: 6.4% of 12536 checklists6 pm: 7.0% of 8080 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (3798) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (676) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (311) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (206) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (93) 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
January7.9%7.2%7.2%7.5%
February8.4%7.0%7.5%9.8%
March9.9%11%11%12%
April11%10%8.9%8.1%
May9.8%9.2%9.4%13%
June10%10%9.9%9.0%
July10%8.1%10%11%
August11%11%12%12%
September14%13%13%14%
October13%13%10%9.1%
November9.4%8.6%8.0%8.8%
December8.0%7.4%8.4%8.5%

Neighboring states

  • Mississippi: all year, most in fall, peaks late September
  • Alabama: all year, most in fall, peaks mid September
  • Texas: year-round, peaks the second week of September
  • Arkansas: year-round, peaks mid September

Common questions

When do Pileated Woodpeckers arrive in Louisiana?
The Pileated Woodpecker is in Louisiana all year. It turns up on about 14% of checklists at its peak (the second week of September) and on 7.3% in its quietest week (mid January).
When do Pileated Woodpeckers leave Louisiana?
The Pileated Woodpecker does not leave Louisiana: it is reported all year, from 7.3% of checklists in mid January to 14% in the second week of September.
When is the best time to see a Pileated Woodpecker in Louisiana?
The Pileated Woodpecker is reported most often in the second week of September, on about 14% of Louisiana checklists.
Where in Louisiana are Pileated Woodpeckers seen most often?
By county, East Carroll Parish, La Salle Parish, and Lincoln Parish have the highest peak reporting rates for the Pileated Woodpecker (counties with at least 200 checklists).