WhenToBird

Dryocopus pileatus · Picidae

When Do Pileated Woodpeckers Arrive in Pennsylvania?

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

The Pileated Woodpecker is in Pennsylvania all year. It turns up on about 14% of checklists at its peak (the second week of September) and on 6.2% in its quietest week (the second week of January).

When to look

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

Best: the second week of September. Here all year. Peak: on about 14% of Pennsylvania 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%15%Jan 1-7: 6.3% of 47145 checklistsJan 8-14: 6.2% of 35840 checklistsJan 15-21: 6.0% of 35423 checklistsJan 22-31: 6.6% of 49126 checklistsFeb 1-7: 6.6% of 36366 checklistsFeb 8-14: 6.8% of 42248 checklistsFeb 15-21: 6.1% of 55888 checklistsFeb 22-28: 7.3% of 42050 checklistsMar 1-7: 6.9% of 42709 checklistsMar 8-14: 7.8% of 43985 checklistsMar 15-21: 8.6% of 44547 checklistsMar 22-31: 9.7% of 66940 checklistsApr 1-7: 11% of 51147 checklistsApr 8-14: 12% of 54868 checklistsApr 15-21: 12% of 57252 checklistsApr 22-30: 13% of 81727 checklistsMay 1-7: 13% of 76472 checklistsMay 8-14: 13% of 79341 checklistsMay 15-21: 13% of 61724 checklistsMay 22-31: 12% of 70722 checklistsJun 1-7: 11% of 45652 checklistsJun 8-14: 9.6% of 41810 checklistsJun 15-21: 9.2% of 38973 checklistsJun 22-30: 8.4% of 44255 checklistsJul 1-7: 7.7% of 34822 checklistsJul 8-14: 6.8% of 31104 checklistsJul 15-21: 6.3% of 29262 checklistsJul 22-31: 6.3% of 41436 checklistsAug 1-7: 6.6% of 29189 checklistsAug 8-14: 7.4% of 28840 checklistsAug 15-21: 8.7% of 29948 checklistsAug 22-31: 11% of 48235 checklistsSep 1-7: 13% of 37175 checklistsSep 8-14: 14% of 36527 checklistsSep 15-21: 15% of 37261 checklistsSep 22-30: 13% of 43583 checklistsOct 1-7: 13% of 35352 checklistsOct 8-14: 11% of 35560 checklistsOct 15-21: 10% of 33119 checklistsOct 22-31: 9.7% of 44654 checklistsNov 1-7: 9.3% of 32965 checklistsNov 8-14: 8.9% of 31305 checklistsNov 15-21: 8.7% of 29471 checklistsNov 22-30: 8.9% of 38642 checklistsDec 1-7: 7.8% of 28779 checklistsDec 8-14: 7.7% of 29486 checklistsDec 15-21: 8.3% of 37465 checklistsDec 22-31: 8.6% of 50651 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Juniata CountyBest early June · 176 checklists that week, 9,807 in all40%
  2. Fulton CountyBest the second week of September · 101 checklists that week, 7,004 in all35%
  3. Wyoming CountyBest mid September · 51 checklists that week, 6,156 in all35%
  4. Huntingdon CountyBest mid September · 453 checklists that week, 32,852 in all32%
  5. Perry CountyBest mid April · 221 checklists that week, 10,281 in all32%
  6. Armstrong CountyBest early October · 165 checklists that week, 11,221 in all32%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Woodland LakeMonroe County, best mid June · 20 checklists that week, 725 in all96%
  2. Sgl 217 (northeast)Lehigh County, best the second week of May · 21 checklists that week, 128 in all86%
  3. Tumbling Run Reservoir Number TwoSchuylkill County, best early May · 20 checklists that week, 190 in all81%
  4. Michaux State ForestCumberland County, best late November · 27 checklists that week, 339 in all80%
  5. Buchanan State ForestFranklin County, best late April · 22 checklists that week, 212 in all77%
  6. Pine Grove Furnace State ParkCumberland County, best mid September · 31 checklists that week, 725 in all76%

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

Best time of day

In Pennsylvania, the Pileated Woodpecker is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (15% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%12 am: too few checklists (1558) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1136) to judge2 am: too few checklists (839) to judge3 am: too few checklists (842) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2550) to judge5 am: too few checklists (18294) to judge6 am: 16% of 92903 checklists7 am: 14% of 241233 checklists8 am: 13% of 271994 checklists9 am: 11% of 236842 checklists10 am: 9.2% of 199508 checklists11 am: 7.9% of 161893 checklists12 pm: 7.3% of 143945 checklists1 pm: 7.4% of 134352 checklists2 pm: 7.3% of 129692 checklists3 pm: 7.1% of 126132 checklists4 pm: 6.8% of 115055 checklists5 pm: 7.5% of 90719 checklists6 pm: 7.5% of 67534 checklists7 pm: 5.8% of 43004 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (13966) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (3913) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1989) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1146) 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
January6.3%6.2%6.0%6.6%
February6.6%6.8%6.1%7.3%
March6.9%7.8%8.6%9.7%
April11%12%12%13%
May13%13%13%12%
June11%9.6%9.2%8.4%
July7.7%6.8%6.3%6.3%
August6.6%7.4%8.7%11%
September13%14%15%13%
October13%11%10%9.7%
November9.3%8.9%8.7%8.9%
December7.8%7.7%8.3%8.6%

Neighboring states

  • Maryland: year-round, peaks the second week of September
  • District of Columbia: all year, most in fall, peaks the second week of September
  • Delaware: all year, most in fall, peaks the second week of September
  • New Jersey: year-round, peaks mid April

Common questions

When do Pileated Woodpeckers arrive in Pennsylvania?
The Pileated Woodpecker is in Pennsylvania all year. It turns up on about 14% of checklists at its peak (the second week of September) and on 6.2% in its quietest week (the second week of January).
When do Pileated Woodpeckers leave Pennsylvania?
The Pileated Woodpecker does not leave Pennsylvania: it is reported all year, from 6.2% of checklists in the second week of January to 14% in the second week of September.
When is the best time to see a Pileated Woodpecker in Pennsylvania?
The Pileated Woodpecker is reported most often in the second week of September, on about 14% of Pennsylvania checklists.
Where in Pennsylvania are Pileated Woodpeckers seen most often?
By county, Juniata County, Fulton County, and Wyoming County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Pileated Woodpecker (counties with at least 200 checklists).