WhenToBird

Melanerpes erythrocephalus · Picidae

When Do Red-headed Woodpeckers Arrive in New Jersey?

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

Red-headed Woodpeckers reach New Jersey in mid February, are common by mid March, peak in early May (1.6% of checklists), and most are gone by late November.

When to look

First arrivalsFeb 15-21mid February
Common byMar 15-21mid March
PeakMay 1-7early May
Most gone byNov 22-30late November

Best: early May. First arrivals mid February; most are gone by late November. Peak: on about 1.6% of New Jersey checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%2%Jan 1-7: 0.9% of 28167 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.8% of 20583 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.6% of 19739 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.6% of 24586 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.5% of 17226 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.5% of 19567 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.5% of 26553 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.6% of 19046 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.5% of 17969 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.6% of 18976 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.6% of 18581 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.6% of 27590 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.7% of 21202 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.6% of 23609 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.8% of 25056 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.4% of 36679 checklistsMay 1-7: 1.9% of 38378 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.5% of 44071 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.1% of 34076 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.8% of 32558 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.7% of 18049 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.7% of 15597 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.8% of 14894 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.6% of 17187 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.6% of 13406 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.7% of 12550 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.7% of 12358 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.6% of 18382 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.5% of 13689 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.7% of 14006 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.6% of 14483 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.6% of 23182 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.8% of 17984 checklistsSep 8-14: 1.1% of 18320 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.3% of 20491 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.1% of 26176 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.8% of 24112 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.7% of 24603 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.8% of 24549 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.7% of 26206 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.7% of 17469 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.6% of 15102 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.5% of 14958 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.7% of 19447 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.6% of 14017 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.4% of 14625 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.6% of 16937 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.6% of 26651 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 New Jersey 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 New Jersey

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Morris CountyBest the second week of September · 938 checklists that week, 59,212 in all4.8%
  2. Somerset CountyBest mid September · 1149 checklists that week, 58,057 in all4.0%
  3. Cumberland CountyBest late August · 203 checklists that week, 13,927 in all3.6%
  4. Cape May CountyBest early May · 7177 checklists that week, 189,832 in all3.4%
  5. Essex CountyBest early August · 455 checklists that week, 28,396 in all2.8%
  6. Ocean CountyBest early May · 3003 checklists that week, 87,340 in all2.2%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Dennis Creek Wildlife Management Area (Pierces)Cape May County, best late August · 20 checklists that week, 815 in all80%
  2. Saddle River County ParkBergen County, best early January · 24 checklists that week, 410 in all69%
  3. Colliers LakeOcean County, best late March · 35 checklists that week, 852 in all45%
  4. Passaic RiverSomerset County, best late September · 56 checklists that week, 1,288 in all44%

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

Best time of day

In New Jersey, the Red-headed Woodpecker is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (1.2% of those checklists).

0%0.5%1%1.5%12 am: too few checklists (746) to judge1 am: too few checklists (640) to judge2 am: too few checklists (606) to judge3 am: too few checklists (755) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1681) to judge5 am: too few checklists (11258) to judge6 am: 1.4% of 50447 checklists7 am: 1.1% of 118312 checklists8 am: 0.9% of 123273 checklists9 am: 0.9% of 107783 checklists10 am: 0.7% of 97537 checklists11 am: 0.7% of 82427 checklists12 pm: 0.7% of 72581 checklists1 pm: 0.7% of 71478 checklists2 pm: 0.7% of 69994 checklists3 pm: 0.6% of 66822 checklists4 pm: 0.6% of 55950 checklists5 pm: 0.8% of 41360 checklists6 pm: 0.5% of 28122 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (14727) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (4257) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1273) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (920) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (693) 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
January0.9%0.8%0.6%0.6%
February0.5%0.5%0.5%0.6%
March0.5%0.6%0.6%0.6%
April0.7%0.6%0.8%1.4%
May1.9%1.5%1.1%0.8%
June0.7%0.7%0.8%0.6%
July0.6%0.7%0.7%0.6%
August0.5%0.7%0.6%0.6%
September0.8%1.1%1.3%1.1%
October0.8%0.7%0.8%0.7%
November0.7%0.6%0.5%0.7%
December0.6%0.4%0.6%0.6%

Neighboring states

  • Delaware: arrives mid April, 8 weeks later than New Jersey
  • Pennsylvania: arrives mid March, 4 weeks later than New Jersey
  • Maryland: arrives mid February, in the same week than New Jersey
  • District of Columbia: arrives late August, 23 weeks earlier than New Jersey

Common questions

When do Red-headed Woodpeckers arrive in New Jersey?
Red-headed Woodpeckers reach New Jersey in mid February, are common by mid March, peak in early May (1.6% of checklists), and most are gone by late November.
When do Red-headed Woodpeckers leave New Jersey?
Most Red-headed Woodpeckers have left New Jersey by late November, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early December.
When is the best time to see a Red-headed Woodpecker in New Jersey?
The Red-headed Woodpecker is reported most often in early May, on about 1.6% of New Jersey checklists.
Where in New Jersey are Red-headed Woodpeckers seen most often?
By county, Morris County, Somerset County, and Cumberland County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-headed Woodpecker (counties with at least 200 checklists).