WhenToBird

Melanerpes erythrocephalus · Picidae

When Do Red-headed Woodpeckers Arrive in Indiana?

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

Red-headed Woodpeckers are in Indiana all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from late April, peak in the second week of May (15% of checklists), and fall back by mid September. In the quietest week (early March) they are still on about 4.9% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildApr 22-30late April
PeakMay 8-14the second week of May
Fall back bySep 15-21mid September
FewestMar 1-7early March

Best: the second week of May. Here all year; numbers build from late April and fall back by mid September. Peak: on about 15% of Indiana checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  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%20%Jan 1-7: 5.5% of 18123 checklistsJan 8-14: 5.1% of 12006 checklistsJan 15-21: 5.6% of 12403 checklistsJan 22-31: 5.5% of 16181 checklistsFeb 1-7: 5.8% of 12546 checklistsFeb 8-14: 5.0% of 14250 checklistsFeb 15-21: 5.2% of 18077 checklistsFeb 22-28: 4.7% of 13590 checklistsMar 1-7: 5.0% of 14545 checklistsMar 8-14: 5.0% of 14594 checklistsMar 15-21: 5.3% of 13894 checklistsMar 22-31: 5.5% of 22400 checklistsApr 1-7: 6.1% of 18069 checklistsApr 8-14: 7.0% of 19579 checklistsApr 15-21: 8.7% of 19518 checklistsApr 22-30: 12% of 30544 checklistsMay 1-7: 15% of 28430 checklistsMay 8-14: 16% of 30624 checklistsMay 15-21: 15% of 22920 checklistsMay 22-31: 13% of 21234 checklistsJun 1-7: 11% of 12279 checklistsJun 8-14: 12% of 10904 checklistsJun 15-21: 12% of 9488 checklistsJun 22-30: 11% of 11362 checklistsJul 1-7: 12% of 9947 checklistsJul 8-14: 10% of 9585 checklistsJul 15-21: 11% of 8929 checklistsJul 22-31: 11% of 12639 checklistsAug 1-7: 11% of 9528 checklistsAug 8-14: 10% of 9451 checklistsAug 15-21: 10% of 9442 checklistsAug 22-31: 13% of 14969 checklistsSep 1-7: 14% of 12628 checklistsSep 8-14: 13% of 11793 checklistsSep 15-21: 11% of 11396 checklistsSep 22-30: 9.1% of 14203 checklistsOct 1-7: 8.1% of 11365 checklistsOct 8-14: 6.6% of 12092 checklistsOct 15-21: 6.2% of 10440 checklistsOct 22-31: 5.7% of 13883 checklistsNov 1-7: 5.6% of 10476 checklistsNov 8-14: 5.2% of 9776 checklistsNov 15-21: 5.2% of 9035 checklistsNov 22-30: 5.6% of 12547 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.8% of 9078 checklistsDec 8-14: 5.6% of 8732 checklistsDec 15-21: 6.0% of 11024 checklistsDec 22-31: 5.7% of 15432 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 Indiana 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 Indiana

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Blackford CountyBest late July · 23 checklists that week, 962 in all59%
  2. Wells CountyBest the second week of August · 57 checklists that week, 3,465 in all57%
  3. Fountain CountyBest early May · 12 checklists that week, 397 in all54%
  4. Vermillion CountyBest early September · 29 checklists that week, 772 in all52%
  5. Pulaski CountyBest early May · 14 checklists that week, 1,160 in all49%
  6. Jasper CountyBest the second week of May · 40 checklists that week, 1,586 in all47%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Indiana Dunes National Park (Duneland Village)Lake County, best early September · 21 checklists that week, 685 in all90%
  2. Beanblossom BottomsMonroe County, best early October · 25 checklists that week, 1,003 in all89%
  3. Vaughn HollowBrown County, best early May · 33 checklists that week, 919 in all87%
  4. J C Murphey LakeNewton County, best mid May · 21 checklists that week, 303 in all83%
  5. Purdue University PondTippecanoe County, best early September · 26 checklists that week, 948 in all80%
  6. Scales Lake State BeachWarrick County, best early May · 50 checklists that week, 645 in all78%

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

Best time of day

In Indiana, the Red-headed Woodpecker is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (13% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%12 am: too few checklists (240) to judge1 am: too few checklists (231) to judge2 am: too few checklists (222) to judge3 am: too few checklists (202) to judge4 am: too few checklists (674) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4329) to judge6 am: 16% of 20589 checklists7 am: 12% of 58470 checklists8 am: 12% of 86931 checklists9 am: 11% of 78239 checklists10 am: 8.6% of 66080 checklists11 am: 7.8% of 54904 checklists12 pm: 7.2% of 47610 checklists1 pm: 7.3% of 44814 checklists2 pm: 7.0% of 43790 checklists3 pm: 6.5% of 42983 checklists4 pm: 6.3% of 45349 checklists5 pm: 6.4% of 35993 checklists6 pm: 7.1% of 26447 checklists7 pm: 6.0% of 17740 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (7603) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1721) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (517) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (272) 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
January5.5%5.1%5.6%5.5%
February5.8%5.0%5.2%4.7%
March5.0%5.0%5.3%5.5%
April6.1%7.0%8.7%12%
May15%16%15%13%
June11%12%12%11%
July12%10%11%11%
August11%10%10%13%
September14%13%11%9.1%
October8.1%6.6%6.2%5.7%
November5.6%5.2%5.2%5.6%
December4.8%5.6%6.0%5.7%

Neighboring states

  • Illinois: arrives late April, in the same week than Indiana
  • Kentucky: arrives mid April, 1 week earlier than Indiana
  • Ohio: arrives late April, in the same week than Indiana
  • Michigan: arrives the second week of April, 2 weeks earlier than Indiana

Common questions

When do Red-headed Woodpeckers arrive in Indiana?
Red-headed Woodpeckers are in Indiana all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from late April, peak in the second week of May (15% of checklists), and fall back by mid September. In the quietest week (early March) they are still on about 4.9% of checklists.
When do Red-headed Woodpeckers leave Indiana?
Red-headed Woodpeckers never fully leave Indiana: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by mid September, but some are still reported in every week, about 4.9% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Red-headed Woodpecker in Indiana?
The Red-headed Woodpecker is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 15% of Indiana checklists.
Where in Indiana are Red-headed Woodpeckers seen most often?
By county, Blackford County, Wells County, and Fountain County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-headed Woodpecker (counties with at least 200 checklists).