WhenToBird

Dryocopus pileatus · Picidae

When Do Pileated Woodpeckers Arrive in Washington?

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

The Pileated Woodpecker is in Washington all year. It turns up on about 6.1% of checklists at its peak (late April) and on 3.2% in its quietest week (early January).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekApr 22-30late April
Quietest weekJan 1-7early January

Best: late April. Here all year. Peak: on about 6.1% of Washington checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  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%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 2.9% of 41928 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.4% of 31152 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.5% of 31753 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.6% of 42530 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.7% of 29739 checklistsFeb 8-14: 4.1% of 32746 checklistsFeb 15-21: 4.1% of 40328 checklistsFeb 22-28: 4.5% of 28432 checklistsMar 1-7: 4.8% of 30758 checklistsMar 8-14: 5.2% of 29368 checklistsMar 15-21: 5.9% of 32580 checklistsMar 22-31: 5.8% of 45614 checklistsApr 1-7: 5.9% of 33997 checklistsApr 8-14: 5.5% of 34729 checklistsApr 15-21: 5.8% of 38474 checklistsApr 22-30: 6.2% of 52185 checklistsMay 1-7: 6.1% of 44236 checklistsMay 8-14: 5.6% of 48708 checklistsMay 15-21: 5.5% of 41742 checklistsMay 22-31: 5.8% of 57082 checklistsJun 1-7: 5.2% of 39193 checklistsJun 8-14: 4.9% of 36042 checklistsJun 15-21: 4.9% of 34003 checklistsJun 22-30: 4.5% of 39711 checklistsJul 1-7: 4.3% of 31949 checklistsJul 8-14: 4.1% of 29086 checklistsJul 15-21: 3.8% of 28045 checklistsJul 22-31: 4.0% of 38275 checklistsAug 1-7: 4.5% of 28846 checklistsAug 8-14: 4.7% of 28036 checklistsAug 15-21: 5.1% of 27614 checklistsAug 22-31: 5.7% of 40356 checklistsSep 1-7: 5.8% of 31214 checklistsSep 8-14: 5.9% of 27795 checklistsSep 15-21: 5.6% of 29677 checklistsSep 22-30: 5.2% of 35241 checklistsOct 1-7: 4.7% of 28605 checklistsOct 8-14: 4.3% of 28655 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.9% of 24643 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.9% of 34874 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.3% of 25658 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.2% of 25700 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.4% of 24331 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.7% of 32784 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.3% of 24099 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.3% of 23339 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.5% of 27666 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.3% of 42130 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 Washington 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 Washington

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Skamania CountyBest the second week of September · 214 checklists that week, 10,140 in all20%
  2. Klickitat CountyBest early September · 328 checklists that week, 19,718 in all19%
  3. Kitsap CountyBest late April · 2317 checklists that week, 74,545 in all18%
  4. Pend Oreille CountyBest mid August · 107 checklists that week, 3,664 in all14%
  5. Mason CountyBest early September · 545 checklists that week, 27,853 in all11%
  6. Columbia CountyBest early July · 49 checklists that week, 1,894 in all11%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Yost ParkSnohomish County, best mid March · 34 checklists that week, 1,453 in all59%
  2. Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife RefugeClark County, best the second week of March · 77 checklists that week, 2,714 in all57%
  3. Lewis and Clark National Historic TrailSkamania County, best mid November · 43 checklists that week, 358 in all57%
  4. Hamilton IslandSkamania County, best late August · 36 checklists that week, 794 in all53%
  5. Pine Ridge ParkSnohomish County, best early May · 35 checklists that week, 1,232 in all50%
  6. Carillon WoodsKing County, best late April · 46 checklists that week, 273 in all48%

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

Best time of day

In Washington, the Pileated Woodpecker is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (8.5% of those checklists).

0%5%10%12 am: too few checklists (796) to judge1 am: too few checklists (776) to judge2 am: too few checklists (709) to judge3 am: too few checklists (901) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3221) to judge5 am: too few checklists (16576) to judge6 am: 9.4% of 56744 checklists7 am: 8.2% of 133294 checklists8 am: 6.8% of 184196 checklists9 am: 5.2% of 186303 checklists10 am: 4.5% of 177063 checklists11 am: 3.7% of 154936 checklists12 pm: 3.2% of 138061 checklists1 pm: 3.2% of 127449 checklists2 pm: 3.2% of 121511 checklists3 pm: 3.3% of 107793 checklists4 pm: 3.2% of 82862 checklists5 pm: 3.3% of 57183 checklists6 pm: 3.5% of 39886 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (26969) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (12427) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (3658) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1500) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (834) 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
January2.9%3.4%3.5%3.6%
February3.7%4.1%4.1%4.5%
March4.8%5.2%5.9%5.8%
April5.9%5.5%5.8%6.2%
May6.1%5.6%5.5%5.8%
June5.2%4.9%4.9%4.5%
July4.3%4.1%3.8%4.0%
August4.5%4.7%5.1%5.7%
September5.8%5.9%5.6%5.2%
October4.7%4.3%3.9%3.9%
November3.3%3.2%3.4%3.7%
December3.3%3.3%3.5%3.3%

Neighboring states

  • Oregon: year-round, peaks early September
  • Idaho: summer visitor, peaks early September
  • Montana: year-round, peaks early March
  • California: summer visitor, peaks early June

Common questions

When do Pileated Woodpeckers arrive in Washington?
The Pileated Woodpecker is in Washington all year. It turns up on about 6.1% of checklists at its peak (late April) and on 3.2% in its quietest week (early January).
When do Pileated Woodpeckers leave Washington?
The Pileated Woodpecker does not leave Washington: it is reported all year, from 3.2% of checklists in early January to 6.1% in late April.
When is the best time to see a Pileated Woodpecker in Washington?
The Pileated Woodpecker is reported most often in late April, on about 6.1% of Washington checklists.
Where in Washington are Pileated Woodpeckers seen most often?
By county, Skamania County, Klickitat County, and Kitsap County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Pileated Woodpecker (counties with at least 200 checklists).