WhenToBird

Melanerpes carolinus · Picidae

When Do Red-bellied Woodpeckers Arrive in Florida?

Adult male Red-bellied Woodpecker
Photo: froggymum, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Red-bellied Woodpecker is in Florida all year. It turns up on about 60% of checklists at its peak (early October) and on 39% in its quietest week (the second week of January).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekOct 1-7early October
Quietest weekJan 8-14the second week of January

Best: early October. Here all year. Peak: on about 60% of Florida checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

Darker months: more checklists report it. Outlined: peak month.

0%20%40%60%80%Jan 1-7: 38% of 74446 checklistsJan 8-14: 39% of 60074 checklistsJan 15-21: 40% of 62945 checklistsJan 22-31: 40% of 84954 checklistsFeb 1-7: 42% of 59204 checklistsFeb 8-14: 42% of 63259 checklistsFeb 15-21: 41% of 77150 checklistsFeb 22-28: 43% of 62850 checklistsMar 1-7: 42% of 58560 checklistsMar 8-14: 43% of 57756 checklistsMar 15-21: 44% of 54898 checklistsMar 22-31: 48% of 76702 checklistsApr 1-7: 50% of 55096 checklistsApr 8-14: 51% of 55892 checklistsApr 15-21: 53% of 59358 checklistsApr 22-30: 53% of 73124 checklistsMay 1-7: 53% of 47915 checklistsMay 8-14: 50% of 44114 checklistsMay 15-21: 50% of 31858 checklistsMay 22-31: 48% of 40723 checklistsJun 1-7: 44% of 31668 checklistsJun 8-14: 45% of 27802 checklistsJun 15-21: 45% of 26698 checklistsJun 22-30: 46% of 32346 checklistsJul 1-7: 47% of 23826 checklistsJul 8-14: 46% of 23071 checklistsJul 15-21: 47% of 22903 checklistsJul 22-31: 46% of 32952 checklistsAug 1-7: 45% of 25093 checklistsAug 8-14: 47% of 24888 checklistsAug 15-21: 48% of 26030 checklistsAug 22-31: 50% of 38612 checklistsSep 1-7: 52% of 31023 checklistsSep 8-14: 55% of 30022 checklistsSep 15-21: 57% of 31611 checklistsSep 22-30: 60% of 42108 checklistsOct 1-7: 60% of 36219 checklistsOct 8-14: 60% of 43113 checklistsOct 15-21: 60% of 40987 checklistsOct 22-31: 56% of 53457 checklistsNov 1-7: 49% of 38587 checklistsNov 8-14: 45% of 39208 checklistsNov 15-21: 43% of 39729 checklistsNov 22-30: 42% of 54965 checklistsDec 1-7: 41% of 42070 checklistsDec 8-14: 40% of 43424 checklistsDec 15-21: 41% of 50581 checklistsDec 22-31: 41% of 82405 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 Florida 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 Florida

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Gilchrist CountyBest the second week of October · 31 checklists that week, 1,979 in all83%
  2. Columbia CountyBest the second week of October · 112 checklists that week, 5,568 in all83%
  3. Jackson CountyBest the second week of October · 24 checklists that week, 1,959 in all82%
  4. Washington CountyBest late September · 43 checklists that week, 1,773 in all80%
  5. Calhoun CountyBest mid October · 14 checklists that week, 570 in all77%
  6. Baker CountyBest the second week of October · 20 checklists that week, 1,308 in all77%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. GTMNERR - Guana River SiteSt. Johns County, best late September · 20 checklists that week, 578 in all100%
  2. Wekiwa SpringsOrange County, best early October · 22 checklists that week, 1,093 in all100%
  3. Lake DestinySeminole County, best the second week of April · 26 checklists that week, 1,410 in all100%
  4. Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway State Recreation and Conservation AreaMarion County, best mid September · 27 checklists that week, 273 in all100%
  5. Thornby ParkVolusia County, best late September · 20 checklists that week, 307 in all100%

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

Best time of day

In Florida, the Red-bellied Woodpecker is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (61% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%80%12 am: too few checklists (771) to judge1 am: too few checklists (771) to judge2 am: too few checklists (701) to judge3 am: too few checklists (752) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1378) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9462) to judge6 am: 56% of 94591 checklists7 am: 62% of 296183 checklists8 am: 60% of 319987 checklists9 am: 51% of 254830 checklists10 am: 44% of 209480 checklists11 am: 39% of 163924 checklists12 pm: 37% of 133478 checklists1 pm: 36% of 125012 checklists2 pm: 37% of 125299 checklists3 pm: 39% of 131072 checklists4 pm: 39% of 134410 checklists5 pm: 36% of 113373 checklists6 pm: 37% of 69886 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (37509) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (8966) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2093) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1485) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (862) 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
January38%39%40%40%
February42%42%41%43%
March42%43%44%48%
April50%51%53%53%
May53%50%50%48%
June44%45%45%46%
July47%46%47%46%
August45%47%48%50%
September52%55%57%60%
October60%60%60%56%
November49%45%43%42%
December41%40%41%41%

Neighboring states

  • Georgia: year-round, peaks the second week of October
  • South Carolina: year-round, peaks the second week of October
  • Alabama: year-round, peaks early October
  • Mississippi: year-round, peaks the second week of October

Common questions

When do Red-bellied Woodpeckers arrive in Florida?
The Red-bellied Woodpecker is in Florida all year. It turns up on about 60% of checklists at its peak (early October) and on 39% in its quietest week (the second week of January).
When do Red-bellied Woodpeckers leave Florida?
The Red-bellied Woodpecker does not leave Florida: it is reported all year, from 39% of checklists in the second week of January to 60% in early October.
When is the best time to see a Red-bellied Woodpecker in Florida?
The Red-bellied Woodpecker is reported most often in early October, on about 60% of Florida checklists.
Where in Florida are Red-bellied Woodpeckers seen most often?
By county, Gilchrist County, Columbia County, and Jackson County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-bellied Woodpecker (counties with at least 200 checklists).