WhenToBird

Melanerpes erythrocephalus · Picidae

When Do Red-headed Woodpeckers Arrive in Missouri?

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

Red-headed Woodpeckers are in Missouri all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from late August, peak in the second week of September (15% of checklists), and fall back by early October. In the quietest week (the second week of February) they are still on about 5.9% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildAug 22-31late August
PeakSep 8-14the second week of September
Fall back byOct 1-7early October
FewestFeb 8-14the second week of February

Best: the second week of September. Here all year; numbers build from late August and fall back by early October. Peak: on about 15% of Missouri checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 6.5% of 12628 checklistsJan 8-14: 6.3% of 9076 checklistsJan 15-21: 6.2% of 8790 checklistsJan 22-31: 6.5% of 11986 checklistsFeb 1-7: 6.6% of 8987 checklistsFeb 8-14: 5.9% of 10394 checklistsFeb 15-21: 5.5% of 15472 checklistsFeb 22-28: 7.1% of 9917 checklistsMar 1-7: 6.8% of 9877 checklistsMar 8-14: 6.3% of 9570 checklistsMar 15-21: 7.4% of 10274 checklistsMar 22-31: 7.5% of 16156 checklistsApr 1-7: 7.9% of 12774 checklistsApr 8-14: 9.3% of 14048 checklistsApr 15-21: 9.7% of 14894 checklistsApr 22-30: 13% of 23288 checklistsMay 1-7: 15% of 22645 checklistsMay 8-14: 13% of 21384 checklistsMay 15-21: 11% of 13989 checklistsMay 22-31: 11% of 15784 checklistsJun 1-7: 9.0% of 9691 checklistsJun 8-14: 10% of 9036 checklistsJun 15-21: 10% of 7907 checklistsJun 22-30: 9.9% of 9831 checklistsJul 1-7: 9.1% of 8008 checklistsJul 8-14: 8.4% of 7202 checklistsJul 15-21: 8.7% of 7151 checklistsJul 22-31: 8.5% of 9833 checklistsAug 1-7: 9.8% of 7639 checklistsAug 8-14: 9.5% of 7507 checklistsAug 15-21: 9.6% of 7429 checklistsAug 22-31: 10% of 11182 checklistsSep 1-7: 15% of 9471 checklistsSep 8-14: 15% of 8501 checklistsSep 15-21: 15% of 8169 checklistsSep 22-30: 13% of 11572 checklistsOct 1-7: 12% of 9028 checklistsOct 8-14: 10% of 9413 checklistsOct 15-21: 9.0% of 8656 checklistsOct 22-31: 7.5% of 11625 checklistsNov 1-7: 8.0% of 8627 checklistsNov 8-14: 7.5% of 8284 checklistsNov 15-21: 8.4% of 8075 checklistsNov 22-30: 8.5% of 10430 checklistsDec 1-7: 6.8% of 7870 checklistsDec 8-14: 8.0% of 7567 checklistsDec 15-21: 9.1% of 9696 checklistsDec 22-31: 7.8% of 13142 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 Missouri 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 Missouri

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Knox CountyBest early April · 13 checklists that week, 215 in all90%
  2. Lewis CountyBest the second week of September · 15 checklists that week, 1,047 in all74%
  3. Daviess CountyBest late September · 29 checklists that week, 1,354 in all72%
  4. Carroll CountyBest mid September · 18 checklists that week, 770 in all71%
  5. Worth CountyBest mid November · 10 checklists that week, 235 in all70%
  6. Chariton CountyBest the second week of May · 16 checklists that week, 586 in all67%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Castlewood State Park (Morschels)St. Louis County, best late December · 20 checklists that week, 638 in all89%
  2. 3M Flat Branch-Hinkson Creek WetlandsBoone County, best the second week of September · 53 checklists that week, 2,233 in all85%
  3. Little Bean Marsh Conservation AreaPlatte County, best the second week of May · 20 checklists that week, 278 in all80%
  4. Arnold City ParkJefferson County, best mid April · 21 checklists that week, 388 in all75%
  5. Pershing State ParkLinn County, best the second week of May · 21 checklists that week, 348 in all73%
  6. Clear Fork LakeJohnson County, best early April · 24 checklists that week, 725 in all72%

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

Best time of day

In Missouri, the Red-headed Woodpecker is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (11% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (205) to judge1 am: too few checklists (179) to judge2 am: too few checklists (204) to judge3 am: too few checklists (216) to judge4 am: too few checklists (630) to judge5 am: too few checklists (5072) to judge6 am: 13% of 27231 checklists7 am: 11% of 64162 checklists8 am: 11% of 67854 checklists9 am: 10% of 56515 checklists10 am: 9.6% of 47496 checklists11 am: 9.0% of 38845 checklists12 pm: 8.6% of 33383 checklists1 pm: 8.8% of 32503 checklists2 pm: 8.9% of 32615 checklists3 pm: 8.7% of 32514 checklists4 pm: 7.6% of 30274 checklists5 pm: 7.1% of 23446 checklists6 pm: 6.8% of 16374 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (10236) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (3133) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (722) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (405) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (261) 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
January6.5%6.3%6.2%6.5%
February6.6%5.9%5.5%7.1%
March6.8%6.3%7.4%7.5%
April7.9%9.3%9.7%13%
May15%13%11%11%
June9.0%10%10%9.9%
July9.1%8.4%8.7%8.5%
August9.8%9.5%9.6%10%
September15%15%15%13%
October12%10%9.0%7.5%
November8.0%7.5%8.4%8.5%
December6.8%8.0%9.1%7.8%

Neighboring states

  • Arkansas: year-round, peaks late August
  • Iowa: arrives early May, 15 weeks earlier than Missouri
  • Kansas: arrives the second week of August, 2 weeks earlier than Missouri
  • Illinois: arrives late April, 16 weeks earlier than Missouri

Common questions

When do Red-headed Woodpeckers arrive in Missouri?
Red-headed Woodpeckers are in Missouri all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from late August, peak in the second week of September (15% of checklists), and fall back by early October. In the quietest week (the second week of February) they are still on about 5.9% of checklists.
When do Red-headed Woodpeckers leave Missouri?
Red-headed Woodpeckers never fully leave Missouri: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by early October, but some are still reported in every week, about 5.9% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Red-headed Woodpecker in Missouri?
The Red-headed Woodpecker is reported most often in the second week of September, on about 15% of Missouri checklists.
Where in Missouri are Red-headed Woodpeckers seen most often?
By county, Knox County, Lewis County, and Daviess County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-headed Woodpecker (counties with at least 200 checklists).