WhenToBird

Dryocopus pileatus · Picidae

When Do Pileated Woodpeckers Arrive in Maine?

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

Pileated Woodpeckers are in Maine all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from mid March, peak in late April (9.8% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of June. In the quietest week (the second week of January) they are still on about 3.6% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMar 15-21mid March
PeakApr 22-30late April
Fall back byJun 8-14the second week of June
FewestJan 8-14the second week of January

Best: late April. Here all year; numbers build from mid March and fall back by the second week of June. Peak: on about 9.8% of Maine 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%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 3.4% of 15499 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.5% of 11141 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.9% of 10729 checklistsJan 22-31: 4.2% of 15084 checklistsFeb 1-7: 4.7% of 9403 checklistsFeb 8-14: 4.3% of 11268 checklistsFeb 15-21: 4.8% of 14061 checklistsFeb 22-28: 6.2% of 9977 checklistsMar 1-7: 5.3% of 9649 checklistsMar 8-14: 6.1% of 11781 checklistsMar 15-21: 7.3% of 11613 checklistsMar 22-31: 7.0% of 17798 checklistsApr 1-7: 7.0% of 14638 checklistsApr 8-14: 9.0% of 16511 checklistsApr 15-21: 10% of 17164 checklistsApr 22-30: 9.6% of 22602 checklistsMay 1-7: 9.8% of 22556 checklistsMay 8-14: 8.9% of 27842 checklistsMay 15-21: 8.9% of 27748 checklistsMay 22-31: 7.6% of 38715 checklistsJun 1-7: 7.1% of 26916 checklistsJun 8-14: 6.7% of 23737 checklistsJun 15-21: 6.2% of 22733 checklistsJun 22-30: 6.0% of 28248 checklistsJul 1-7: 4.9% of 20290 checklistsJul 8-14: 4.4% of 18534 checklistsJul 15-21: 4.2% of 17319 checklistsJul 22-31: 4.2% of 22815 checklistsAug 1-7: 4.6% of 15004 checklistsAug 8-14: 4.8% of 14603 checklistsAug 15-21: 5.5% of 14972 checklistsAug 22-31: 7.3% of 19813 checklistsSep 1-7: 8.7% of 14567 checklistsSep 8-14: 9.4% of 14520 checklistsSep 15-21: 8.9% of 14339 checklistsSep 22-30: 8.9% of 16879 checklistsOct 1-7: 9.4% of 12959 checklistsOct 8-14: 7.1% of 13168 checklistsOct 15-21: 7.2% of 11184 checklistsOct 22-31: 6.1% of 13717 checklistsNov 1-7: 5.5% of 9823 checklistsNov 8-14: 5.0% of 9007 checklistsNov 15-21: 4.4% of 8528 checklistsNov 22-30: 4.8% of 10228 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.3% of 7505 checklistsDec 8-14: 4.0% of 7982 checklistsDec 15-21: 4.7% of 10455 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.7% of 14285 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 Maine 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 Maine

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Piscataquis CountyBest late March · 94 checklists that week, 14,837 in all21%
  2. Somerset CountyBest late September · 170 checklists that week, 12,202 in all21%
  3. Waldo CountyBest the second week of September · 592 checklists that week, 33,433 in all18%
  4. Franklin CountyBest late April · 291 checklists that week, 14,182 in all15%
  5. Lincoln CountyBest the second week of April · 1034 checklists that week, 59,429 in all15%
  6. Penobscot CountyBest mid September · 1025 checklists that week, 56,895 in all14%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Sheepscot River ReservoirLincoln County, best the second week of September · 23 checklists that week, 216 in all62%
  2. Green Point Wildlife Management AreaLincoln County, best early October · 34 checklists that week, 1,082 in all51%
  3. Hatch Natural AreaHancock County, best late August · 26 checklists that week, 137 in all44%
  4. Concert ParkPenobscot County, best mid September · 31 checklists that week, 472 in all44%
  5. Bradbury Mountain State ParkCumberland County, best late March · 25 checklists that week, 377 in all42%
  6. Great Salt Bay FarmLincoln County, best early October · 43 checklists that week, 1,776 in all39%

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

Best time of day

In Maine, the Pileated Woodpecker is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 am (14% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%12 am: too few checklists (510) to judge1 am: too few checklists (517) to judge2 am: too few checklists (581) to judge3 am: too few checklists (3242) to judge4 am: too few checklists (7221) to judge5 am: 16% of 19895 checklists6 am: 14% of 54578 checklists7 am: 10% of 92775 checklists8 am: 7.7% of 86962 checklists9 am: 6.4% of 78989 checklists10 am: 5.1% of 70954 checklists11 am: 4.4% of 59331 checklists12 pm: 4.0% of 50943 checklists1 pm: 4.0% of 49775 checklists2 pm: 4.1% of 49001 checklists3 pm: 4.4% of 43252 checklists4 pm: 4.9% of 33413 checklists5 pm: 5.4% of 25547 checklists6 pm: 4.4% of 18309 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (14287) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (5336) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2253) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1518) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (720) 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
January3.4%3.5%3.9%4.2%
February4.7%4.3%4.8%6.2%
March5.3%6.1%7.3%7.0%
April7.0%9.0%10%9.6%
May9.8%8.9%8.9%7.6%
June7.1%6.7%6.2%6.0%
July4.9%4.4%4.2%4.2%
August4.6%4.8%5.5%7.3%
September8.7%9.4%8.9%8.9%
October9.4%7.1%7.2%6.1%
November5.5%5.0%4.4%4.8%
December4.3%4.0%4.7%4.7%

Neighboring states

Common questions

When do Pileated Woodpeckers arrive in Maine?
Pileated Woodpeckers are in Maine all year, but most are here in spring: numbers build from mid March, peak in late April (9.8% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of June. In the quietest week (the second week of January) they are still on about 3.6% of checklists.
When do Pileated Woodpeckers leave Maine?
Pileated Woodpeckers never fully leave Maine: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by the second week of June, but some are still reported in every week, about 3.6% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Pileated Woodpecker in Maine?
The Pileated Woodpecker is reported most often in late April, on about 9.8% of Maine checklists.
Where in Maine are Pileated Woodpeckers seen most often?
By county, Piscataquis County, Somerset County, and Waldo County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Pileated Woodpecker (counties with at least 200 checklists).