WhenToBird

Dryocopus pileatus · Picidae

When Do Pileated Woodpeckers Arrive in Mississippi?

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

Pileated Woodpeckers are in Mississippi all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from late August, peak in late September (16% of checklists), and fall back by mid October. In the quietest week (early July) they are still on about 5.8% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildAug 22-31late August
PeakSep 22-30late September
Fall back byOct 15-21mid October
FewestJul 1-7early July

Best: late September. Here all year; numbers build from late August and fall back by mid October. Peak: on about 16% of Mississippi 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: 8.5% of 4836 checklistsJan 8-14: 7.2% of 3323 checklistsJan 15-21: 6.4% of 3400 checklistsJan 22-31: 7.5% of 4705 checklistsFeb 1-7: 8.1% of 3387 checklistsFeb 8-14: 7.6% of 3911 checklistsFeb 15-21: 6.6% of 4691 checklistsFeb 22-28: 8.5% of 3409 checklistsMar 1-7: 11% of 3276 checklistsMar 8-14: 9.5% of 3273 checklistsMar 15-21: 11% of 3552 checklistsMar 22-31: 13% of 5618 checklistsApr 1-7: 13% of 4432 checklistsApr 8-14: 13% of 4907 checklistsApr 15-21: 12% of 5239 checklistsApr 22-30: 12% of 7043 checklistsMay 1-7: 12% of 4597 checklistsMay 8-14: 13% of 4383 checklistsMay 15-21: 10% of 3088 checklistsMay 22-31: 8.5% of 3805 checklistsJun 1-7: 7.7% of 2658 checklistsJun 8-14: 6.6% of 2469 checklistsJun 15-21: 6.6% of 2112 checklistsJun 22-30: 6.0% of 2534 checklistsJul 1-7: 6.0% of 2099 checklistsJul 8-14: 5.4% of 1885 checklistsJul 15-21: 6.6% of 1811 checklistsJul 22-31: 7.1% of 2793 checklistsAug 1-7: 9.1% of 2045 checklistsAug 8-14: 9.0% of 2210 checklistsAug 15-21: 8.8% of 2437 checklistsAug 22-31: 11% of 3415 checklistsSep 1-7: 15% of 2837 checklistsSep 8-14: 15% of 2585 checklistsSep 15-21: 16% of 2870 checklistsSep 22-30: 17% of 3610 checklistsOct 1-7: 16% of 2938 checklistsOct 8-14: 15% of 3457 checklistsOct 15-21: 13% of 3168 checklistsOct 22-31: 9.9% of 3752 checklistsNov 1-7: 9.6% of 2847 checklistsNov 8-14: 7.8% of 2648 checklistsNov 15-21: 8.0% of 2599 checklistsNov 22-30: 8.4% of 3389 checklistsDec 1-7: 9.6% of 2419 checklistsDec 8-14: 8.4% of 2526 checklistsDec 15-21: 11% of 2966 checklistsDec 22-31: 9.1% of 4466 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 Mississippi 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 Mississippi

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Jefferson Davis CountyBest mid August · 11 checklists that week, 370 in all78%
  2. George CountyBest mid September · 18 checklists that week, 490 in all71%
  3. Monroe CountyBest the second week of September · 13 checklists that week, 581 in all67%
  4. Amite CountyBest late February · 18 checklists that week, 221 in all57%
  5. Humphreys CountyBest late August · 19 checklists that week, 560 in all47%
  6. Sharkey CountyBest late August · 27 checklists that week, 226 in all47%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Plymouth BluffLowndes County, best late March · 24 checklists that week, 333 in all81%
  2. Vicksburg National Military ParkWarren County, best early April · 25 checklists that week, 383 in all57%
  3. Hurricane LakeMadison County, best mid September · 31 checklists that week, 1,600 in all55%
  4. Wall Doxey State ParkMarshall County, best early May · 25 checklists that week, 191 in all53%
  5. Bogue HomaHancock County, best late April · 31 checklists that week, 271 in all52%
  6. Bouie RiverForrest County, best late March · 45 checklists that week, 746 in all51%

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

Best time of day

In Mississippi, 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 (54) to judge1 am: too few checklists (48) to judge2 am: too few checklists (28) to judge3 am: too few checklists (60) to judge4 am: too few checklists (114) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1139) to judge6 am: 18% of 9054 checklists7 am: 17% of 18481 checklists8 am: 15% of 17525 checklists9 am: 12% of 15482 checklists10 am: 8.9% of 14380 checklists11 am: 7.4% of 12728 checklists12 pm: 6.7% of 11009 checklists1 pm: 7.1% of 10651 checklists2 pm: 6.9% of 10787 checklists3 pm: 8.2% of 11221 checklists4 pm: 7.1% of 11861 checklists5 pm: 7.7% of 8854 checklists6 pm: 6.1% of 6018 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (2387) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (314) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (114) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (63) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (48) 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
January8.5%7.2%6.4%7.5%
February8.1%7.6%6.6%8.5%
March11%9.5%11%13%
April13%13%12%12%
May12%13%10%8.5%
June7.7%6.6%6.6%6.0%
July6.0%5.4%6.6%7.1%
August9.1%9.0%8.8%11%
September15%15%16%17%
October16%15%13%9.9%
November9.6%7.8%8.0%8.4%
December9.6%8.4%11%9.1%

Neighboring states

  • Alabama: arrives late August, in the same week than Mississippi
  • Louisiana: year-round, peaks the second week of September
  • Arkansas: year-round, peaks mid September
  • Georgia: year-round, peaks late September

Common questions

When do Pileated Woodpeckers arrive in Mississippi?
Pileated Woodpeckers are in Mississippi all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from late August, peak in late September (16% of checklists), and fall back by mid October. In the quietest week (early July) they are still on about 5.8% of checklists.
When do Pileated Woodpeckers leave Mississippi?
Pileated Woodpeckers never fully leave Mississippi: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by mid October, but some are still reported in every week, about 5.8% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Pileated Woodpecker in Mississippi?
The Pileated Woodpecker is reported most often in late September, on about 16% of Mississippi checklists.
Where in Mississippi are Pileated Woodpeckers seen most often?
By county, Jefferson Davis County, George County, and Monroe County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Pileated Woodpecker (counties with at least 200 checklists).