WhenToBird

Melanerpes carolinus · Picidae

When Do Red-bellied Woodpeckers Arrive in Texas?

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

The Red-bellied Woodpecker is in Texas all year. It turns up on about 23% of checklists at its peak (early October) and on 15% in its quietest week (the second week of April).

When to look

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

Best: early October. Here all year. Peak: on about 23% of Texas checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  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%Jan 1-7: 18% of 66038 checklistsJan 8-14: 17% of 52445 checklistsJan 15-21: 17% of 52985 checklistsJan 22-31: 17% of 71020 checklistsFeb 1-7: 18% of 52306 checklistsFeb 8-14: 17% of 55887 checklistsFeb 15-21: 18% of 69016 checklistsFeb 22-28: 17% of 52998 checklistsMar 1-7: 18% of 50836 checklistsMar 8-14: 17% of 51749 checklistsMar 15-21: 17% of 53731 checklistsMar 22-31: 17% of 82049 checklistsApr 1-7: 16% of 65854 checklistsApr 8-14: 15% of 78434 checklistsApr 15-21: 15% of 92302 checklistsApr 22-30: 16% of 122878 checklistsMay 1-7: 21% of 74592 checklistsMay 8-14: 22% of 61008 checklistsMay 15-21: 20% of 43365 checklistsMay 22-31: 19% of 52736 checklistsJun 1-7: 18% of 31643 checklistsJun 8-14: 17% of 30131 checklistsJun 15-21: 18% of 26802 checklistsJun 22-30: 18% of 32822 checklistsJul 1-7: 18% of 27213 checklistsJul 8-14: 17% of 24555 checklistsJul 15-21: 17% of 24146 checklistsJul 22-31: 17% of 34536 checklistsAug 1-7: 17% of 25764 checklistsAug 8-14: 17% of 26347 checklistsAug 15-21: 16% of 28431 checklistsAug 22-31: 17% of 42838 checklistsSep 1-7: 20% of 35070 checklistsSep 8-14: 22% of 33893 checklistsSep 15-21: 21% of 32572 checklistsSep 22-30: 22% of 43771 checklistsOct 1-7: 23% of 34143 checklistsOct 8-14: 23% of 37563 checklistsOct 15-21: 22% of 36263 checklistsOct 22-31: 20% of 49170 checklistsNov 1-7: 17% of 43301 checklistsNov 8-14: 15% of 48744 checklistsNov 15-21: 17% of 42213 checklistsNov 22-30: 18% of 54455 checklistsDec 1-7: 18% of 40166 checklistsDec 8-14: 18% of 41035 checklistsDec 15-21: 20% of 46983 checklistsDec 22-31: 20% of 73015 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 Texas 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 Texas

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Rains CountyBest mid September · 16 checklists that week, 1,265 in all87%
  2. San Augustine CountyBest early October · 17 checklists that week, 745 in all85%
  3. Sabine CountyBest the second week of October · 43 checklists that week, 1,870 in all84%
  4. Red River CountyBest late September · 24 checklists that week, 1,179 in all80%
  5. Angelina CountyBest the second week of October · 175 checklists that week, 10,009 in all80%
  6. Shelby CountyBest the second week of December · 17 checklists that week, 1,347 in all73%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Christie Adair County ParkHarris County, best early May · 23 checklists that week, 342 in all100%
  2. Kelley ParkTarrant County, best late April · 28 checklists that week, 551 in all99%
  3. Sparger ParkTarrant County, best the second week of April · 20 checklists that week, 498 in all96%
  4. One Eleven Ranch ParkDallas County, best late January · 33 checklists that week, 341 in all96%
  5. University of Texas at Austin Brackenridge Field LaboratoryTravis County, best late September · 23 checklists that week, 948 in all95%
  6. Harry S. Moss ParkDallas County, best mid March · 25 checklists that week, 1,038 in all93%

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

Best time of day

In Texas, the Red-bellied Woodpecker is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (28% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (898) to judge1 am: too few checklists (756) to judge2 am: too few checklists (663) to judge3 am: too few checklists (741) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1537) to judge5 am: too few checklists (6113) to judge6 am: 28% of 74687 checklists7 am: 28% of 285131 checklists8 am: 23% of 329960 checklists9 am: 20% of 267889 checklists10 am: 17% of 218205 checklists11 am: 15% of 178879 checklists12 pm: 14% of 153722 checklists1 pm: 14% of 144662 checklists2 pm: 14% of 138578 checklists3 pm: 15% of 136878 checklists4 pm: 13% of 137550 checklists5 pm: 12% of 113599 checklists6 pm: 12% of 81743 checklists7 pm: 7.6% of 53396 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (17221) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4048) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1965) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (990) 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
January18%17%17%17%
February18%17%18%17%
March18%17%17%17%
April16%15%15%16%
May21%22%20%19%
June18%17%18%18%
July18%17%17%17%
August17%17%16%17%
September20%22%21%22%
October23%23%22%20%
November17%15%17%18%
December18%18%20%20%

Neighboring states

  • Louisiana: year-round, peaks early October
  • Oklahoma: year-round, peaks the second week of October
  • Arkansas: year-round, peaks early October
  • Mississippi: year-round, peaks the second week of October

Common questions

When do Red-bellied Woodpeckers arrive in Texas?
The Red-bellied Woodpecker is in Texas all year. It turns up on about 23% of checklists at its peak (early October) and on 15% in its quietest week (the second week of April).
When do Red-bellied Woodpeckers leave Texas?
The Red-bellied Woodpecker does not leave Texas: it is reported all year, from 15% of checklists in the second week of April to 23% in early October.
When is the best time to see a Red-bellied Woodpecker in Texas?
The Red-bellied Woodpecker is reported most often in early October, on about 23% of Texas checklists.
Where in Texas are Red-bellied Woodpeckers seen most often?
By county, Rains County, San Augustine County, and Sabine County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-bellied Woodpecker (counties with at least 200 checklists).