WhenToBird

Melanerpes erythrocephalus · Picidae

When Do Red-headed Woodpeckers Arrive in Illinois?

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

Red-headed Woodpeckers are in Illinois all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from late April, peak in the second week of May (13% of checklists), and fall back by late September. In the quietest week (mid January) they are still on about 2.9% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildApr 22-30late April
PeakMay 8-14the second week of May
Fall back bySep 22-30late September
FewestJan 15-21mid January

Best: the second week of May. Here all year; numbers build from late April and fall back by late September. Peak: on about 13% of Illinois checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 3.2% of 29700 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.8% of 20189 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.9% of 19784 checklistsJan 22-31: 3.0% of 26641 checklistsFeb 1-7: 3.3% of 20478 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.4% of 21967 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.3% of 28735 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.3% of 24223 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.2% of 26775 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.2% of 27579 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.1% of 27193 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.4% of 42278 checklistsApr 1-7: 3.5% of 34579 checklistsApr 8-14: 4.4% of 38290 checklistsApr 15-21: 5.1% of 39261 checklistsApr 22-30: 7.7% of 59584 checklistsMay 1-7: 12% of 60485 checklistsMay 8-14: 14% of 59647 checklistsMay 15-21: 12% of 43173 checklistsMay 22-31: 10% of 47913 checklistsJun 1-7: 7.7% of 31151 checklistsJun 8-14: 8.3% of 27692 checklistsJun 15-21: 8.9% of 23983 checklistsJun 22-30: 8.8% of 28448 checklistsJul 1-7: 9.8% of 21273 checklistsJul 8-14: 9.2% of 19284 checklistsJul 15-21: 8.8% of 17712 checklistsJul 22-31: 8.4% of 24500 checklistsAug 1-7: 9.4% of 18498 checklistsAug 8-14: 10% of 19331 checklistsAug 15-21: 10% of 19983 checklistsAug 22-31: 12% of 31892 checklistsSep 1-7: 13% of 26396 checklistsSep 8-14: 12% of 25011 checklistsSep 15-21: 9.9% of 23597 checklistsSep 22-30: 7.8% of 30638 checklistsOct 1-7: 6.2% of 23949 checklistsOct 8-14: 5.2% of 24412 checklistsOct 15-21: 4.4% of 22359 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.9% of 29794 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.8% of 21877 checklistsNov 8-14: 3.6% of 19742 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.2% of 18989 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.6% of 23905 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.3% of 16935 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.2% of 16687 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.9% of 20931 checklistsDec 22-31: 4.0% of 29011 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 Illinois 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 Illinois

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Mercer CountyBest the second week of June · 14 checklists that week, 949 in all75%
  2. Scott CountyBest mid June · 22 checklists that week, 320 in all70%
  3. Henderson CountyBest late June · 10 checklists that week, 800 in all67%
  4. Schuyler CountyBest mid May · 13 checklists that week, 617 in all67%
  5. Pike CountyBest late August · 12 checklists that week, 706 in all64%
  6. Wabash CountyBest the second week of September · 15 checklists that week, 602 in all60%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lily Pad PondLee County, best early September · 25 checklists that week, 1,001 in all89%
  2. Chautauqua National Wildlife Refuge (Buzzville)Mason County, best late April · 20 checklists that week, 406 in all86%
  3. Merwin PreserveMcLean County, best late April · 24 checklists that week, 410 in all86%
  4. Captain Daniel Wright Woods Forest PreserveLake County, best late June · 55 checklists that week, 2,544 in all85%

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

Best time of day

In Illinois, the Red-headed Woodpecker is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (9.7% of those checklists).

0%5%10%12 am: too few checklists (484) to judge1 am: too few checklists (631) to judge2 am: too few checklists (485) to judge3 am: too few checklists (610) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2321) to judge5 am: too few checklists (23536) to judge6 am: 10% of 95511 checklists7 am: 9.5% of 164584 checklists8 am: 8.4% of 163654 checklists9 am: 7.7% of 141804 checklists10 am: 6.6% of 122882 checklists11 am: 5.7% of 100640 checklists12 pm: 5.3% of 89894 checklists1 pm: 5.6% of 82729 checklists2 pm: 5.3% of 79801 checklists3 pm: 4.9% of 82169 checklists4 pm: 4.9% of 75124 checklists5 pm: 5.4% of 57708 checklists6 pm: 5.0% of 41843 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (20943) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (6131) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1677) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (843) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (448) 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
January3.2%2.8%2.9%3.0%
February3.3%3.4%3.3%3.3%
March3.2%3.2%3.1%3.4%
April3.5%4.4%5.1%7.7%
May12%14%12%10%
June7.7%8.3%8.9%8.8%
July9.8%9.2%8.8%8.4%
August9.4%10%10%12%
September13%12%9.9%7.8%
October6.2%5.2%4.4%3.9%
November3.8%3.6%3.2%3.6%
December3.3%3.2%3.9%4.0%

Neighboring states

  • Indiana: arrives late April, in the same week than Illinois
  • Wisconsin: arrives mid April, 1 week earlier than Illinois
  • Michigan: arrives the second week of April, 2 weeks earlier than Illinois
  • Iowa: arrives early May, 1 week later than Illinois

Common questions

When do Red-headed Woodpeckers arrive in Illinois?
Red-headed Woodpeckers are in Illinois all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from late April, peak in the second week of May (13% of checklists), and fall back by late September. In the quietest week (mid January) they are still on about 2.9% of checklists.
When do Red-headed Woodpeckers leave Illinois?
Red-headed Woodpeckers never fully leave Illinois: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by late September, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.9% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Red-headed Woodpecker in Illinois?
The Red-headed Woodpecker is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 13% of Illinois checklists.
Where in Illinois are Red-headed Woodpeckers seen most often?
By county, Mercer County, Scott County, and Henderson County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-headed Woodpecker (counties with at least 200 checklists).