WhenToBird

Dryocopus pileatus · Picidae

When Do Pileated Woodpeckers Arrive in Wisconsin?

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

The Pileated Woodpecker is in Wisconsin all year. It turns up on about 9.9% of checklists at its peak (the second week of September) and on 5.1% in its quietest week (mid July).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekSep 8-14the second week of September
Quietest weekJul 15-21mid July

Best: the second week of September. Here all year. Peak: on about 9.9% of Wisconsin checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  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: 5.9% of 27925 checklistsJan 8-14: 6.1% of 18337 checklistsJan 15-21: 6.3% of 17370 checklistsJan 22-31: 6.7% of 23777 checklistsFeb 1-7: 6.6% of 16656 checklistsFeb 8-14: 6.5% of 18286 checklistsFeb 15-21: 6.6% of 24739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 6.2% of 20113 checklistsMar 1-7: 6.0% of 24024 checklistsMar 8-14: 5.7% of 26722 checklistsMar 15-21: 5.7% of 27238 checklistsMar 22-31: 5.9% of 40171 checklistsApr 1-7: 6.3% of 34961 checklistsApr 8-14: 6.9% of 39128 checklistsApr 15-21: 6.4% of 38887 checklistsApr 22-30: 6.6% of 57231 checklistsMay 1-7: 7.3% of 55115 checklistsMay 8-14: 7.3% of 63098 checklistsMay 15-21: 7.7% of 49821 checklistsMay 22-31: 8.1% of 56796 checklistsJun 1-7: 7.4% of 33621 checklistsJun 8-14: 7.2% of 31282 checklistsJun 15-21: 7.2% of 30186 checklistsJun 22-30: 6.7% of 35128 checklistsJul 1-7: 6.0% of 27088 checklistsJul 8-14: 5.4% of 23293 checklistsJul 15-21: 4.9% of 20933 checklistsJul 22-31: 5.0% of 27595 checklistsAug 1-7: 5.7% of 19147 checklistsAug 8-14: 6.4% of 18286 checklistsAug 15-21: 7.2% of 19195 checklistsAug 22-31: 8.4% of 28229 checklistsSep 1-7: 9.5% of 22408 checklistsSep 8-14: 10% of 20857 checklistsSep 15-21: 10% of 20707 checklistsSep 22-30: 9.4% of 26469 checklistsOct 1-7: 8.2% of 21069 checklistsOct 8-14: 7.3% of 21011 checklistsOct 15-21: 6.8% of 20006 checklistsOct 22-31: 6.7% of 26362 checklistsNov 1-7: 6.7% of 18928 checklistsNov 8-14: 7.0% of 17052 checklistsNov 15-21: 7.2% of 16291 checklistsNov 22-30: 7.3% of 20564 checklistsDec 1-7: 7.1% of 15354 checklistsDec 8-14: 6.9% of 16294 checklistsDec 15-21: 6.1% of 21430 checklistsDec 22-31: 7.2% of 26314 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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Florence CountyBest late February · 128 checklists that week, 10,179 in all47%
  2. Vilas CountyBest the second week of December · 117 checklists that week, 16,082 in all44%
  3. Washburn CountyBest late October · 58 checklists that week, 7,099 in all42%
  4. Dunn CountyBest the second week of September · 107 checklists that week, 8,247 in all40%
  5. Oneida CountyBest mid November · 74 checklists that week, 14,600 in all36%
  6. Oconto CountyBest early February · 112 checklists that week, 8,609 in all32%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Statenaker LakeVilas County, best mid August · 39 checklists that week, 2,030 in all85%
  2. Fischer LakeFlorence County, best late February · 64 checklists that week, 2,931 in all78%
  3. Red Cedar State TrailDunn County, best the second week of September · 20 checklists that week, 444 in all74%
  4. Coulee Experimental ForestLa Crosse County, best late April · 20 checklists that week, 234 in all62%
  5. Devils Lake (East Bluff)Sauk County, best the second week of January · 21 checklists that week, 508 in all60%
  6. Irvine ParkChippewa County, best the second week of May · 29 checklists that week, 274 in all58%

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

Best time of day

In Wisconsin, the Pileated Woodpecker is most often listed on checklists started between 5 and 7 am (12% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (993) to judge1 am: too few checklists (844) to judge2 am: too few checklists (839) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1488) to judge4 am: too few checklists (5344) to judge5 am: 13% of 27016 checklists6 am: 12% of 83973 checklists7 am: 10% of 160717 checklists8 am: 8.1% of 160531 checklists9 am: 6.9% of 136968 checklists10 am: 6.1% of 119110 checklists11 am: 5.2% of 99116 checklists12 pm: 4.8% of 85078 checklists1 pm: 5.2% of 80688 checklists2 pm: 5.5% of 79140 checklists3 pm: 5.7% of 78599 checklists4 pm: 4.9% of 69767 checklists5 pm: 5.3% of 53229 checklists6 pm: 4.9% of 38769 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24396) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (10155) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4990) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2463) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1281) 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
January5.9%6.1%6.3%6.7%
February6.6%6.5%6.6%6.2%
March6.0%5.7%5.7%5.9%
April6.3%6.9%6.4%6.6%
May7.3%7.3%7.7%8.1%
June7.4%7.2%7.2%6.7%
July6.0%5.4%4.9%5.0%
August5.7%6.4%7.2%8.4%
September9.5%10%10%9.4%
October8.2%7.3%6.8%6.7%
November6.7%7.0%7.2%7.3%
December7.1%6.9%6.1%7.2%

Neighboring states

  • Illinois: year-round, peaks the second week of September
  • Iowa: all year, most in fall, peaks the second week of September
  • Michigan: year-round, peaks the second week of September
  • Minnesota: year-round, peaks the second week of September

Common questions

When do Pileated Woodpeckers arrive in Wisconsin?
The Pileated Woodpecker is in Wisconsin all year. It turns up on about 9.9% of checklists at its peak (the second week of September) and on 5.1% in its quietest week (mid July).
When do Pileated Woodpeckers leave Wisconsin?
The Pileated Woodpecker does not leave Wisconsin: it is reported all year, from 5.1% of checklists in mid July to 9.9% in the second week of September.
When is the best time to see a Pileated Woodpecker in Wisconsin?
The Pileated Woodpecker is reported most often in the second week of September, on about 9.9% of Wisconsin checklists.
Where in Wisconsin are Pileated Woodpeckers seen most often?
By county, Florence County, Vilas County, and Washburn County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Pileated Woodpecker (counties with at least 200 checklists).