WhenToBird

Dryocopus pileatus · Picidae

When Do Pileated Woodpeckers Arrive in New York?

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

The Pileated Woodpecker is in New York all year. It turns up on about 9.5% of checklists at its peak (early May) and on 4.0% in its quietest week (mid January).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekMay 1-7early May
Quietest weekJan 15-21mid January

Best: early May. Here all year. Peak: on about 9.5% of New York checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julcommon
  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%Jan 1-7: 4.1% of 66410 checklistsJan 8-14: 4.1% of 49310 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.7% of 49919 checklistsJan 22-31: 4.0% of 62513 checklistsFeb 1-7: 4.4% of 43526 checklistsFeb 8-14: 4.5% of 49753 checklistsFeb 15-21: 4.3% of 65147 checklistsFeb 22-28: 4.9% of 50173 checklistsMar 1-7: 5.2% of 50325 checklistsMar 8-14: 5.7% of 55371 checklistsMar 15-21: 6.3% of 56293 checklistsMar 22-31: 6.8% of 82677 checklistsApr 1-7: 7.4% of 65295 checklistsApr 8-14: 8.4% of 73080 checklistsApr 15-21: 8.6% of 73857 checklistsApr 22-30: 9.4% of 106093 checklistsMay 1-7: 9.9% of 102772 checklistsMay 8-14: 9.1% of 110051 checklistsMay 15-21: 9.1% of 94797 checklistsMay 22-31: 8.5% of 101272 checklistsJun 1-7: 8.2% of 59471 checklistsJun 8-14: 8.3% of 55497 checklistsJun 15-21: 7.7% of 51761 checklistsJun 22-30: 6.5% of 59219 checklistsJul 1-7: 6.1% of 48226 checklistsJul 8-14: 5.1% of 42315 checklistsJul 15-21: 4.7% of 40637 checklistsJul 22-31: 4.6% of 57183 checklistsAug 1-7: 5.0% of 40461 checklistsAug 8-14: 5.8% of 39880 checklistsAug 15-21: 6.2% of 41146 checklistsAug 22-31: 7.1% of 63381 checklistsSep 1-7: 8.0% of 48640 checklistsSep 8-14: 8.8% of 47882 checklistsSep 15-21: 9.1% of 49063 checklistsSep 22-30: 8.5% of 57906 checklistsOct 1-7: 8.1% of 48447 checklistsOct 8-14: 6.3% of 51901 checklistsOct 15-21: 5.7% of 46717 checklistsOct 22-31: 5.8% of 61992 checklistsNov 1-7: 5.3% of 44593 checklistsNov 8-14: 5.4% of 42566 checklistsNov 15-21: 5.3% of 39675 checklistsNov 22-30: 5.1% of 51197 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.7% of 36567 checklistsDec 8-14: 4.4% of 37254 checklistsDec 15-21: 4.8% of 43754 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.8% of 62470 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 New York 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 New York

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Saratoga CountyBest mid September · 782 checklists that week, 56,746 in all28%
  2. Warren CountyBest mid September · 201 checklists that week, 12,066 in all27%
  3. Sullivan CountyBest late September · 536 checklists that week, 28,620 in all25%
  4. Putnam CountyBest late September · 256 checklists that week, 13,177 in all24%
  5. Washington CountyBest late September · 186 checklists that week, 15,060 in all23%
  6. Dutchess CountyBest early May · 2835 checklists that week, 76,123 in all22%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Tinker Nature ParkMonroe County, best late March · 24 checklists that week, 431 in all65%
  2. Snyder SwampDutchess County, best early May · 27 checklists that week, 210 in all64%
  3. Bear Mountain State ParkRockland County, best late April · 26 checklists that week, 288 in all63%
  4. Beechwood State ParkWayne County, best mid April · 39 checklists that week, 1,500 in all62%
  5. Town of Ballston LandSaratoga County, best early May · 23 checklists that week, 254 in all58%

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

Best time of day

In New York, the Pileated Woodpecker is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (11% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (1146) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1055) to judge2 am: too few checklists (1121) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1353) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4785) to judge5 am: too few checklists (32052) to judge6 am: 13% of 124869 checklists7 am: 10% of 298506 checklists8 am: 8.6% of 337334 checklists9 am: 7.1% of 307787 checklists10 am: 6.1% of 270801 checklists11 am: 5.2% of 233238 checklists12 pm: 4.8% of 213830 checklists1 pm: 4.6% of 193321 checklists2 pm: 4.6% of 180741 checklists3 pm: 4.6% of 170348 checklists4 pm: 4.5% of 147224 checklists5 pm: 5.4% of 111962 checklists6 pm: 5.5% of 78261 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (44425) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (15648) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4795) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2454) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1378) 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
January4.1%4.1%3.7%4.0%
February4.4%4.5%4.3%4.9%
March5.2%5.7%6.3%6.8%
April7.4%8.4%8.6%9.4%
May9.9%9.1%9.1%8.5%
June8.2%8.3%7.7%6.5%
July6.1%5.1%4.7%4.6%
August5.0%5.8%6.2%7.1%
September8.0%8.8%9.1%8.5%
October8.1%6.3%5.7%5.8%
November5.3%5.4%5.3%5.1%
December4.7%4.4%4.8%4.8%

Neighboring states

  • Connecticut: all year, most in spring, peaks early May
  • New Jersey: year-round, peaks mid April
  • Pennsylvania: year-round, peaks the second week of September
  • Vermont: all year, most in fall, peaks mid September

Common questions

When do Pileated Woodpeckers arrive in New York?
The Pileated Woodpecker is in New York all year. It turns up on about 9.5% of checklists at its peak (early May) and on 4.0% in its quietest week (mid January).
When do Pileated Woodpeckers leave New York?
The Pileated Woodpecker does not leave New York: it is reported all year, from 4.0% of checklists in mid January to 9.5% in early May.
When is the best time to see a Pileated Woodpecker in New York?
The Pileated Woodpecker is reported most often in early May, on about 9.5% of New York checklists.
Where in New York are Pileated Woodpeckers seen most often?
By county, Saratoga County, Warren County, and Sullivan County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Pileated Woodpecker (counties with at least 200 checklists).