WhenToBird

Melanerpes carolinus · Picidae

When Do Red-bellied Woodpeckers Arrive in Minnesota?

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

The Red-bellied Woodpecker is in Minnesota all year. It turns up on about 33% of checklists at its peak (the second week of May) and on 14% in its quietest week (early August).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekMay 8-14the second week of May
Quietest weekAug 1-7early August

Best: the second week of May. Here all year. Peak: on about 33% of Minnesota checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 23% of 20628 checklistsJan 8-14: 21% of 14594 checklistsJan 15-21: 22% of 14238 checklistsJan 22-31: 22% of 20725 checklistsFeb 1-7: 21% of 14484 checklistsFeb 8-14: 21% of 15988 checklistsFeb 15-21: 22% of 20718 checklistsFeb 22-28: 22% of 15754 checklistsMar 1-7: 23% of 16125 checklistsMar 8-14: 24% of 19035 checklistsMar 15-21: 24% of 19586 checklistsMar 22-31: 23% of 30192 checklistsApr 1-7: 26% of 24262 checklistsApr 8-14: 26% of 30223 checklistsApr 15-21: 26% of 29085 checklistsApr 22-30: 27% of 43574 checklistsMay 1-7: 33% of 39300 checklistsMay 8-14: 35% of 45927 checklistsMay 15-21: 30% of 36632 checklistsMay 22-31: 25% of 43809 checklistsJun 1-7: 23% of 23418 checklistsJun 8-14: 22% of 20450 checklistsJun 15-21: 20% of 19470 checklistsJun 22-30: 19% of 23418 checklistsJul 1-7: 18% of 19104 checklistsJul 8-14: 16% of 16927 checklistsJul 15-21: 16% of 15635 checklistsJul 22-31: 14% of 22073 checklistsAug 1-7: 13% of 16255 checklistsAug 8-14: 13% of 16840 checklistsAug 15-21: 16% of 17475 checklistsAug 22-31: 19% of 26545 checklistsSep 1-7: 23% of 20750 checklistsSep 8-14: 26% of 18494 checklistsSep 15-21: 27% of 18215 checklistsSep 22-30: 30% of 24463 checklistsOct 1-7: 30% of 18252 checklistsOct 8-14: 30% of 19527 checklistsOct 15-21: 29% of 17098 checklistsOct 22-31: 26% of 24570 checklistsNov 1-7: 26% of 16744 checklistsNov 8-14: 28% of 13483 checklistsNov 15-21: 28% of 12525 checklistsNov 22-30: 28% of 17023 checklistsDec 1-7: 27% of 11645 checklistsDec 8-14: 27% of 11567 checklistsDec 15-21: 27% of 13343 checklistsDec 22-31: 26% of 19759 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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Morrison CountyBest early January · 41 checklists that week, 3,424 in all69%
  2. Hubbard CountyBest late January · 90 checklists that week, 5,131 in all63%
  3. Wabasha CountyBest early February · 103 checklists that week, 6,548 in all63%
  4. Steele CountyBest early October · 80 checklists that week, 4,784 in all60%
  5. Blue Earth CountyBest mid December · 31 checklists that week, 3,002 in all60%
  6. Fillmore CountyBest mid October · 73 checklists that week, 3,791 in all58%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Kabekona LakeHubbard County, best mid October · 31 checklists that week, 1,402 in all97%
  2. Gables LakeWashington County, best mid May · 50 checklists that week, 1,181 in all96%
  3. Lake WinnibigoshishItasca County, best late January · 25 checklists that week, 123 in all96%
  4. Wilmes LakeWashington County, best the second week of May · 34 checklists that week, 205 in all96%
  5. Johnson SloughCarver County, best early May · 23 checklists that week, 524 in all92%
  6. Wolsfeld Woods State Scientific and Natural AreaHennepin County, best mid May · 21 checklists that week, 173 in all92%

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

Best time of day

In Minnesota, the Red-bellied Woodpecker is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (33% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%40%12 am: too few checklists (349) to judge1 am: too few checklists (331) to judge2 am: too few checklists (286) to judge3 am: too few checklists (364) to judge4 am: too few checklists (863) to judge5 am: too few checklists (7598) to judge6 am: 33% of 35775 checklists7 am: 34% of 90565 checklists8 am: 33% of 110612 checklists9 am: 29% of 106128 checklists10 am: 26% of 96131 checklists11 am: 23% of 83750 checklists12 pm: 21% of 76254 checklists1 pm: 21% of 73480 checklists2 pm: 21% of 73703 checklists3 pm: 21% of 75249 checklists4 pm: 19% of 68810 checklists5 pm: 21% of 51899 checklists6 pm: 19% of 38524 checklists7 pm: 13% of 25120 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (10568) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2420) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (748) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (420) 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
January23%21%22%22%
February21%21%22%22%
March23%24%24%23%
April26%26%26%27%
May33%35%30%25%
June23%22%20%19%
July18%16%16%14%
August13%13%16%19%
September23%26%27%30%
October30%30%29%26%
November26%28%28%28%
December27%27%27%26%

Neighboring states

  • Iowa: year-round, peaks mid September
  • Wisconsin: year-round, peaks the second week of May
  • South Dakota: all year, most in winter, peaks early December
  • North Dakota: summer visitor, peaks the second week of May

Common questions

When do Red-bellied Woodpeckers arrive in Minnesota?
The Red-bellied Woodpecker is in Minnesota all year. It turns up on about 33% of checklists at its peak (the second week of May) and on 14% in its quietest week (early August).
When do Red-bellied Woodpeckers leave Minnesota?
The Red-bellied Woodpecker does not leave Minnesota: it is reported all year, from 14% of checklists in early August to 33% in the second week of May.
When is the best time to see a Red-bellied Woodpecker in Minnesota?
The Red-bellied Woodpecker is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 33% of Minnesota checklists.
Where in Minnesota are Red-bellied Woodpeckers seen most often?
By county, Morrison County, Hubbard County, and Wabasha County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-bellied Woodpecker (counties with at least 200 checklists).