WhenToBird

Sphyrapicus ruber · Picidae

When Do Red-breasted Sapsuckers Arrive in California?

Adult Red-breasted Sapsucker
Photo: Mara Christensen, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Red-breasted Sapsuckers arrive in California in mid May, peak in late June (3.0% of checklists), and most are gone by late July.

When to look

First arrivalsMay 15-21mid May
Common byMay 15-21mid May
PeakJun 22-30late June
Most gone byJul 22-31late July

Best: late June. First arrivals mid May; most are gone by late July. Peak: on about 3.0% of California checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marcommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 2.4% of 112336 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.3% of 85518 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.3% of 86488 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.4% of 116174 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.2% of 75171 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.2% of 84467 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.9% of 105683 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.2% of 83396 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.0% of 77470 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.8% of 75180 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.6% of 80770 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.0% of 114116 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.7% of 84057 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.6% of 83692 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.6% of 89242 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.8% of 114289 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.9% of 85728 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.0% of 91984 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.1% of 75478 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.5% of 106250 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.9% of 70051 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.4% of 67485 checklistsJun 15-21: 3.4% of 66269 checklistsJun 22-30: 3.2% of 79172 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.5% of 62877 checklistsJul 8-14: 1.9% of 60328 checklistsJul 15-21: 1.5% of 59705 checklistsJul 22-31: 1.2% of 83796 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.9% of 60215 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.8% of 60172 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.7% of 59877 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.7% of 89107 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.6% of 72000 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.7% of 71228 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.8% of 76808 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.6% of 100204 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.3% of 76571 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.4% of 80874 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.7% of 74581 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.8% of 97498 checklistsNov 1-7: 2.7% of 70851 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.6% of 72431 checklistsNov 15-21: 2.5% of 66767 checklistsNov 22-30: 2.5% of 94737 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.4% of 65393 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.7% of 67449 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.3% of 83421 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.5% of 124993 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 California 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 California

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Sierra CountyBest early July · 388 checklists that week, 8,945 in all25%
  2. Mono CountyBest late June · 2494 checklists that week, 38,666 in all19%
  3. Plumas CountyBest late June · 1004 checklists that week, 24,629 in all17%
  4. Modoc CountyBest late June · 449 checklists that week, 6,138 in all16%
  5. El Dorado CountyBest early July · 649 checklists that week, 25,075 in all15%
  6. Trinity CountyBest late June · 242 checklists that week, 9,037 in all15%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Bluff Lake ReserveSan Bernardino County, best mid June · 26 checklists that week, 405 in all83%
  2. Browns LakeSiskiyou County, best late June · 26 checklists that week, 1,397 in all74%
  3. Inyo National ForestInyo County, best mid June · 20 checklists that week, 350 in all73%
  4. Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (Lower Horse Meadow)Mono County, best mid June · 21 checklists that week, 161 in all70%
  5. Inyo National Forest (Warren Fork)Mono County, best late June · 21 checklists that week, 123 in all66%
  6. Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (Sawmill Canyon)Mono County, best mid June · 29 checklists that week, 145 in all63%

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

Best time of day

In California, the Red-breasted Sapsucker is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (2.4% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%12 am: too few checklists (1688) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1451) to judge2 am: too few checklists (1402) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1743) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4647) to judge5 am: too few checklists (32158) to judge6 am: 1.8% of 186053 checklists7 am: 2.4% of 444086 checklists8 am: 2.5% of 535846 checklists9 am: 2.1% of 486061 checklists10 am: 1.9% of 411130 checklists11 am: 1.7% of 325798 checklists12 pm: 1.6% of 269132 checklists1 pm: 1.6% of 244762 checklists2 pm: 1.5% of 235420 checklists3 pm: 1.5% of 232365 checklists4 pm: 1.2% of 208688 checklists5 pm: 0.9% of 146104 checklists6 pm: 0.7% of 96867 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (50942) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (14803) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5561) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (3546) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (2092) 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
January2.4%2.3%2.3%2.4%
February2.2%2.2%1.9%2.2%
March2.0%1.8%1.6%1.0%
April0.7%0.6%0.6%0.8%
May0.9%1.0%1.1%1.5%
June1.9%2.4%3.4%3.2%
July2.5%1.9%1.5%1.2%
August0.9%0.8%0.7%0.7%
September0.6%0.7%0.8%1.6%
October2.3%2.4%2.7%2.8%
November2.7%2.6%2.5%2.5%
December2.4%2.7%3.3%2.5%

Neighboring states

  • Nevada: arrives late February, 11 weeks earlier than California
  • Oregon: arrives late August, 13 weeks later than California
  • Washington: arrives late August, 13 weeks later than California
  • Alaska: arrives the second week of March, 9 weeks earlier than California

Common questions

When do Red-breasted Sapsuckers arrive in California?
Red-breasted Sapsuckers arrive in California in mid May, peak in late June (3.0% of checklists), and most are gone by late July.
When do Red-breasted Sapsuckers leave California?
Most Red-breasted Sapsuckers have left California by late July, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Red-breasted Sapsucker in California?
The Red-breasted Sapsucker is reported most often in late June, on about 3.0% of California checklists.
Where in California are Red-breasted Sapsuckers seen most often?
By county, Sierra County, Mono County, and Plumas County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-breasted Sapsucker (counties with at least 200 checklists).