WhenToBird

Melanerpes erythrocephalus · Picidae

When Do Red-headed Woodpeckers Arrive in Nebraska?

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

Red-headed Woodpeckers reach Nebraska in mid April, are common by early May, peak in late August (26% of checklists), and most are gone by mid September.

When to look

First arrivalsApr 15-21mid April
Common byMay 1-7early May
PeakAug 22-31late August
Most gone bySep 15-21mid September

Best: late August. First arrivals mid April; most are gone by mid September. Peak: on about 26% of Nebraska checklists.

  1. Janrare
  2. Febrare
  3. Marnot usually seen
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octrare
  11. Novrare
  12. Decrare

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 1.9% of 4210 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.5% of 2891 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.1% of 2685 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.9% of 3834 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.5% of 2803 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.5% of 3134 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.6% of 4508 checklistsFeb 22-28: 1.1% of 3238 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.0% of 3862 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.8% of 4894 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.7% of 5862 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.8% of 8598 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.2% of 5530 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.3% of 5528 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.5% of 6091 checklistsApr 22-30: 3.9% of 8661 checklistsMay 1-7: 13% of 9842 checklistsMay 8-14: 24% of 10044 checklistsMay 15-21: 23% of 8863 checklistsMay 22-31: 21% of 10207 checklistsJun 1-7: 20% of 4922 checklistsJun 8-14: 19% of 4054 checklistsJun 15-21: 22% of 3680 checklistsJun 22-30: 21% of 4349 checklistsJul 1-7: 23% of 3277 checklistsJul 8-14: 22% of 2803 checklistsJul 15-21: 21% of 2842 checklistsJul 22-31: 23% of 3920 checklistsAug 1-7: 25% of 2981 checklistsAug 8-14: 25% of 2819 checklistsAug 15-21: 24% of 3179 checklistsAug 22-31: 28% of 4599 checklistsSep 1-7: 26% of 3958 checklistsSep 8-14: 20% of 3460 checklistsSep 15-21: 12% of 3435 checklistsSep 22-30: 6.1% of 4975 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.6% of 3611 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.8% of 3605 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.2% of 3474 checklistsOct 22-31: 1.3% of 4352 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.9% of 3119 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.9% of 2887 checklistsNov 15-21: 1.0% of 2568 checklistsNov 22-30: 1.3% of 3506 checklistsDec 1-7: 1.3% of 2453 checklistsDec 8-14: 1.0% of 2756 checklistsDec 15-21: 1.6% of 3760 checklistsDec 22-31: 2.1% of 3746 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 Nebraska 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 Nebraska

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Howard CountyBest late June · 10 checklists that week, 493 in all76%
  2. Stanton CountyBest early August · 12 checklists that week, 835 in all70%
  3. Dundy CountyBest late August · 46 checklists that week, 623 in all68%
  4. Harlan CountyBest mid August · 23 checklists that week, 1,276 in all66%
  5. Boyd CountyBest early July · 10 checklists that week, 299 in all61%
  6. Cuming CountyBest early July · 18 checklists that week, 659 in all60%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Fontenelle Forest Association Local Resource Management AreaSarpy County, best early September · 28 checklists that week, 1,623 in all81%
  2. Chadron State ParkDawes County, best late August · 34 checklists that week, 425 in all76%
  3. Fontenelle Forest Association Local Resource Management Area (Old Home Creek)Sarpy County, best the second week of September · 31 checklists that week, 1,592 in all67%
  4. Fontenelle Forest Association Local Resource Management Area (west)Sarpy County, best mid May · 27 checklists that week, 297 in all62%

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

Best time of day

In Nebraska, the Red-headed Woodpecker is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (15% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%20%12 am: too few checklists (60) to judge1 am: too few checklists (70) to judge2 am: too few checklists (74) to judge3 am: too few checklists (97) to judge4 am: too few checklists (318) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1382) to judge6 am: 18% of 6945 checklists7 am: 14% of 19066 checklists8 am: 12% of 24661 checklists9 am: 12% of 23438 checklists10 am: 10% of 20424 checklists11 am: 8.8% of 16727 checklists12 pm: 8.9% of 14774 checklists1 pm: 8.1% of 14443 checklists2 pm: 7.5% of 14830 checklists3 pm: 7.3% of 14445 checklists4 pm: 7.1% of 13353 checklists5 pm: 8.6% of 10506 checklists6 pm: 10% of 9208 checklists7 pm: 9.9% of 6334 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2406) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (531) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (201) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (82) 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
January1.9%1.5%1.1%0.9%
February1.5%1.5%1.6%1.1%
March1.0%0.8%0.7%0.8%
April1.2%2.3%1.5%3.9%
May13%24%23%21%
June20%19%22%21%
July23%22%21%23%
August25%25%24%28%
September26%20%12%6.1%
October2.6%1.8%1.2%1.3%
November0.9%0.9%1.0%1.3%
December1.3%1.0%1.6%2.1%

Neighboring states

  • Kansas: arrives the second week of August, 15 weeks later than Nebraska
  • South Dakota: arrives early May, 2 weeks later than Nebraska
  • Iowa: arrives early May, 2 weeks later than Nebraska
  • Missouri: arrives late August, 17 weeks later than Nebraska

Common questions

When do Red-headed Woodpeckers arrive in Nebraska?
Red-headed Woodpeckers reach Nebraska in mid April, are common by early May, peak in late August (26% of checklists), and most are gone by mid September.
When do Red-headed Woodpeckers leave Nebraska?
Most Red-headed Woodpeckers have left Nebraska by mid September, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early October.
When is the best time to see a Red-headed Woodpecker in Nebraska?
The Red-headed Woodpecker is reported most often in late August, on about 26% of Nebraska checklists.
Where in Nebraska are Red-headed Woodpeckers seen most often?
By county, Howard County, Stanton County, and Dundy County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-headed Woodpecker (counties with at least 200 checklists).