WhenToBird

Melanerpes erythrocephalus · Picidae

When Do Red-headed Woodpeckers Arrive in Oklahoma?

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

Red-headed Woodpeckers are in Oklahoma all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from early September, peak in the second week of September (8.5% of checklists), and fall back by mid October. In the quietest week (early August) they are still on about 3.4% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildSep 1-7early September
PeakSep 8-14the second week of September
Fall back byOct 15-21mid October
FewestAug 1-7early August

Best: the second week of September. Here all year; numbers build from early September and fall back by mid October. Peak: on about 8.5% of Oklahoma checklists.

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

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 5.0% of 6087 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.8% of 4350 checklistsJan 15-21: 4.3% of 4381 checklistsJan 22-31: 4.4% of 6165 checklistsFeb 1-7: 5.2% of 4259 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.3% of 4589 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.4% of 7001 checklistsFeb 22-28: 4.6% of 4482 checklistsMar 1-7: 4.5% of 4724 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.9% of 4571 checklistsMar 15-21: 4.0% of 4393 checklistsMar 22-31: 4.5% of 7544 checklistsApr 1-7: 3.6% of 5967 checklistsApr 8-14: 4.9% of 6543 checklistsApr 15-21: 4.8% of 7366 checklistsApr 22-30: 5.5% of 10618 checklistsMay 1-7: 7.7% of 8835 checklistsMay 8-14: 7.3% of 8247 checklistsMay 15-21: 6.3% of 6081 checklistsMay 22-31: 5.9% of 7283 checklistsJun 1-7: 5.3% of 4256 checklistsJun 8-14: 4.7% of 3774 checklistsJun 15-21: 4.6% of 3541 checklistsJun 22-30: 4.4% of 4159 checklistsJul 1-7: 4.0% of 3209 checklistsJul 8-14: 3.8% of 2916 checklistsJul 15-21: 4.2% of 2861 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.1% of 4146 checklistsAug 1-7: 3.6% of 3043 checklistsAug 8-14: 3.4% of 2839 checklistsAug 15-21: 3.9% of 3014 checklistsAug 22-31: 5.2% of 4759 checklistsSep 1-7: 8.0% of 3861 checklistsSep 8-14: 9.4% of 3748 checklistsSep 15-21: 7.9% of 3569 checklistsSep 22-30: 7.4% of 4830 checklistsOct 1-7: 7.9% of 3809 checklistsOct 8-14: 6.6% of 4142 checklistsOct 15-21: 6.5% of 3705 checklistsOct 22-31: 5.7% of 4738 checklistsNov 1-7: 5.4% of 3823 checklistsNov 8-14: 4.8% of 3849 checklistsNov 15-21: 5.7% of 3722 checklistsNov 22-30: 6.4% of 4795 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.3% of 3324 checklistsDec 8-14: 4.9% of 3574 checklistsDec 15-21: 6.5% of 3884 checklistsDec 22-31: 5.5% of 5774 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 Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Harmon CountyBest early September · 11 checklists that week, 340 in all52%
  2. Atoka CountyBest mid December · 15 checklists that week, 381 in all52%
  3. Alfalfa CountyBest early September · 82 checklists that week, 3,843 in all45%
  4. Mayes CountyBest the second week of December · 10 checklists that week, 459 in all42%
  5. Adair CountyBest the second week of May · 26 checklists that week, 616 in all37%
  6. Okmulgee CountyBest late November · 19 checklists that week, 728 in all35%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Upper Dog PondAlfalfa County, best late August · 24 checklists that week, 783 in all85%
  2. Recreation LakeTulsa County, best the second week of October · 74 checklists that week, 3,060 in all79%
  3. Carl Etling Public Fishing AreaCimarron County, best late May · 40 checklists that week, 497 in all61%
  4. Lake Yahola (Flat Rock Creek)Tulsa County, best the second week of March · 21 checklists that week, 619 in all60%
  5. Lake Carl EtlingCimarron County, best early September · 27 checklists that week, 413 in all55%
  6. CLO Lands (Kenton)Cimarron County, best late May · 21 checklists that week, 329 in all50%

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

Best time of day

In Oklahoma, the Red-headed Woodpecker is most often listed on checklists started between 8 and 10 am (6.5% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%12 am: too few checklists (91) to judge1 am: too few checklists (65) to judge2 am: too few checklists (73) to judge3 am: too few checklists (73) to judge4 am: too few checklists (100) to judge5 am: too few checklists (647) to judge6 am: 5.6% of 8353 checklists7 am: 5.6% of 24509 checklists8 am: 6.8% of 27848 checklists9 am: 6.2% of 25316 checklists10 am: 5.1% of 21161 checklists11 am: 5.9% of 18730 checklists12 pm: 4.7% of 16097 checklists1 pm: 5.3% of 14028 checklists2 pm: 5.7% of 13599 checklists3 pm: 5.4% of 14228 checklists4 pm: 4.4% of 14597 checklists5 pm: 3.7% of 12125 checklists6 pm: 3.4% of 9337 checklists7 pm: 2.3% of 6944 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2403) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (459) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (226) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (141) 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
January5.0%3.8%4.3%4.4%
February5.2%3.3%3.4%4.6%
March4.5%3.9%4.0%4.5%
April3.6%4.9%4.8%5.5%
May7.7%7.3%6.3%5.9%
June5.3%4.7%4.6%4.4%
July4.0%3.8%4.2%3.1%
August3.6%3.4%3.9%5.2%
September8.0%9.4%7.9%7.4%
October7.9%6.6%6.5%5.7%
November5.4%4.8%5.7%6.4%
December4.3%4.9%6.5%5.5%

Neighboring states

  • Kansas: arrives the second week of August, 3 weeks earlier than Oklahoma
  • Arkansas: year-round, peaks late August
  • Missouri: arrives late August, 1 week earlier than Oklahoma
  • Nebraska: arrives mid April, 18 weeks earlier than Oklahoma

Common questions

When do Red-headed Woodpeckers arrive in Oklahoma?
Red-headed Woodpeckers are in Oklahoma all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from early September, peak in the second week of September (8.5% of checklists), and fall back by mid October. In the quietest week (early August) they are still on about 3.4% of checklists.
When do Red-headed Woodpeckers leave Oklahoma?
Red-headed Woodpeckers never fully leave Oklahoma: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by mid October, but some are still reported in every week, about 3.4% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Red-headed Woodpecker in Oklahoma?
The Red-headed Woodpecker is reported most often in the second week of September, on about 8.5% of Oklahoma checklists.
Where in Oklahoma are Red-headed Woodpeckers seen most often?
By county, Harmon County, Atoka County, and Alfalfa County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-headed Woodpecker (counties with at least 200 checklists).