WhenToBird

Melanerpes erythrocephalus · Picidae

Red-headed Woodpecker: When and Where to See It

Adult Red-headed Woodpecker
Photo: Owen VanAntwerpen, CC BY-SA 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Red-headed Woodpecker reaches New Jersey first, around mid February, and Wyoming last, around the second week of May.

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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0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 1.4% of 1114036 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.3% of 824708 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.3% of 825978 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.3% of 1105853 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.4% of 779772 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.2% of 864504 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.3% of 1127933 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.3% of 840124 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.3% of 839610 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.3% of 870138 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.3% of 898456 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.4% of 1335637 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.5% of 1030617 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.7% of 1124024 checklistsApr 15-21: 2.1% of 1194575 checklistsApr 22-30: 2.8% of 1675723 checklistsMay 1-7: 3.8% of 1449080 checklistsMay 8-14: 4.3% of 1538353 checklistsMay 15-21: 3.7% of 1219898 checklistsMay 22-31: 3.1% of 1452282 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.6% of 900636 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.6% of 829907 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.6% of 773255 checklistsJun 22-30: 2.6% of 916255 checklistsJul 1-7: 2.8% of 717733 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.6% of 658223 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.5% of 638752 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.5% of 895727 checklistsAug 1-7: 2.6% of 655651 checklistsAug 8-14: 2.6% of 650038 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.7% of 654639 checklistsAug 22-31: 3.1% of 974928 checklistsSep 1-7: 3.6% of 765914 checklistsSep 8-14: 3.3% of 738674 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.9% of 750433 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.5% of 944196 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.1% of 760106 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.8% of 793131 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.6% of 728727 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.5% of 959954 checklistsNov 1-7: 1.5% of 709464 checklistsNov 8-14: 1.3% of 693424 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.4% of 653952 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.4% of 871137 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.4% of 627591 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.4% of 642427 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.5% of 775638 checklistsDec 22-31: 1.5% of 1132751 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Pooled across every state in the data, so it leans toward states with the most birders.

States, in order of first arrivals

StatePatternFirst arrivalsPeakMost gone byPeak %
MarylandSummer visitorFeb 15-21Sep 8-14Nov 1-73.6%
New JerseySummer visitorFeb 15-21May 1-7Nov 22-301.6%
PennsylvaniaSummer visitorMar 15-21May 8-14Oct 8-141.9%
TexasSummer visitorMar 15-21May 22-31Oct 15-211.7%
MississippiAll year, most in summerApr 8-14May 1-7Oct 1-715%
MichiganSummer visitorApr 8-14May 15-21Sep 22-305.2%
West VirginiaSummer visitorApr 8-14Sep 8-14Oct 15-214.0%
NebraskaSummer visitorApr 15-21Aug 22-31Sep 15-2126%
KentuckyAll year, most in summerApr 15-21May 1-7Oct 1-78.1%
LouisianaAll year, most in summerApr 15-21Jul 8-14Sep 22-309.2%
WisconsinSummer visitorApr 15-21May 8-14Sep 22-305.9%
DelawareSummer visitorApr 15-21Jul 8-14Oct 1-72.0%
IndianaAll year, most in summerApr 22-30May 8-14Sep 15-2115%
IllinoisAll year, most in summerApr 22-30May 8-14Sep 22-3013%
OhioAll year, most in summerApr 22-30May 8-14Sep 15-2113%
IowaAll year, most in summerMay 1-7Sep 1-7Sep 15-2128%
South DakotaSummer visitorMay 1-7Aug 22-31Sep 8-1416%
MinnesotaSummer visitorMay 1-7May 15-21Oct 1-72.4%
North DakotaSummer visitorMay 8-14Aug 22-31Sep 15-213.6%
ColoradoSummer visitorMay 8-14May 22-31Sep 15-211.7%
WyomingSummer visitorMay 8-14May 22-31Sep 8-141.5%
KansasAll year, most in fallAug 8-14Sep 8-14Sep 22-3016%
MissouriAll year, most in fallAug 22-31Sep 8-14Oct 1-715%
District of ColumbiaSummer visitorAug 22-31Sep 8-14Nov 1-71.6%
OklahomaAll year, most in fallSep 1-7Sep 8-14Oct 15-218.5%
ArkansasYear-round–Aug 22-31–10%
AlabamaYear-round–Sep 15-21–9.4%
GeorgiaYear-round–Sep 15-21–9.5%
South CarolinaYear-round–Apr 22-30–8.2%
North CarolinaYear-round–Sep 8-14–6.0%
TennesseeYear-round–Sep 22-30–5.6%
VirginiaYear-round–Sep 8-14–5.5%
FloridaYear-round–Jun 8-14–3.0%

Passes through: Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma

Summer visitor in: Maryland, West Virginia, Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, District of Columbia