WhenToBird

Melanerpes erythrocephalus · Picidae

When Do Red-headed Woodpeckers Arrive in South Carolina?

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

The Red-headed Woodpecker is in South Carolina all year. It turns up on about 8.2% of checklists at its peak (late April) and on 4.8% in its quietest week (the second week of February).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekApr 22-30late April
Quietest weekFeb 8-14the second week of February

Best: late April. Here all year. Peak: on about 8.2% of South Carolina checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 5.6% of 15487 checklistsJan 8-14: 5.7% of 11691 checklistsJan 15-21: 5.5% of 11994 checklistsJan 22-31: 5.4% of 16225 checklistsFeb 1-7: 5.5% of 12192 checklistsFeb 8-14: 4.5% of 14044 checklistsFeb 15-21: 4.5% of 18483 checklistsFeb 22-28: 5.6% of 12045 checklistsMar 1-7: 5.3% of 11511 checklistsMar 8-14: 5.4% of 11704 checklistsMar 15-21: 5.6% of 11526 checklistsMar 22-31: 5.7% of 17386 checklistsApr 1-7: 5.8% of 13148 checklistsApr 8-14: 6.8% of 13193 checklistsApr 15-21: 8.0% of 13936 checklistsApr 22-30: 8.6% of 19002 checklistsMay 1-7: 8.0% of 14133 checklistsMay 8-14: 7.2% of 13668 checklistsMay 15-21: 7.1% of 11064 checklistsMay 22-31: 6.9% of 14461 checklistsJun 1-7: 6.8% of 10231 checklistsJun 8-14: 6.4% of 9417 checklistsJun 15-21: 7.0% of 8012 checklistsJun 22-30: 7.1% of 9720 checklistsJul 1-7: 6.5% of 7907 checklistsJul 8-14: 6.6% of 7338 checklistsJul 15-21: 6.6% of 7312 checklistsJul 22-31: 6.0% of 10877 checklistsAug 1-7: 5.8% of 7816 checklistsAug 8-14: 5.4% of 7655 checklistsAug 15-21: 5.9% of 7797 checklistsAug 22-31: 5.9% of 11246 checklistsSep 1-7: 7.0% of 8956 checklistsSep 8-14: 7.2% of 8929 checklistsSep 15-21: 8.4% of 9389 checklistsSep 22-30: 8.1% of 13028 checklistsOct 1-7: 7.7% of 11063 checklistsOct 8-14: 6.7% of 10968 checklistsOct 15-21: 6.7% of 10264 checklistsOct 22-31: 5.8% of 12917 checklistsNov 1-7: 5.9% of 8802 checklistsNov 8-14: 5.6% of 8339 checklistsNov 15-21: 5.9% of 8798 checklistsNov 22-30: 6.1% of 12925 checklistsDec 1-7: 6.2% of 8541 checklistsDec 8-14: 5.9% of 8609 checklistsDec 15-21: 7.0% of 9961 checklistsDec 22-31: 6.2% of 17541 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 South Carolina 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 South Carolina

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hampton CountyBest late April · 57 checklists that week, 1,038 in all51%
  2. McCormick CountyBest the second week of July · 13 checklists that week, 1,566 in all40%
  3. Marion CountyBest late November · 10 checklists that week, 327 in all39%
  4. Williamsburg CountyBest the second week of August · 16 checklists that week, 1,512 in all38%
  5. Marlboro CountyBest late September · 16 checklists that week, 686 in all38%
  6. Allendale CountyBest late April · 28 checklists that week, 1,172 in all33%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lewis Ocean Bay Heritage Preserve / Wildlife Management AreaHorry County, best early May · 22 checklists that week, 519 in all92%
  2. Conestee ParkGreenville County, best late October · 162 checklists that week, 7,332 in all76%
  3. Webb Wildlife CenterHampton County, best late April · 28 checklists that week, 323 in all76%
  4. Santee River Basin MegasiteCharleston County, best late July · 23 checklists that week, 1,240 in all74%
  5. Hartwell Recreation AreaAnderson County, best late January · 26 checklists that week, 1,049 in all70%

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

Best time of day

In South Carolina, the Red-headed Woodpecker is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (8.3% of those checklists).

0%5%10%12 am: too few checklists (222) to judge1 am: too few checklists (160) to judge2 am: too few checklists (132) to judge3 am: too few checklists (212) to judge4 am: too few checklists (267) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1898) to judge6 am: 8.1% of 19280 checklists7 am: 8.0% of 66492 checklists8 am: 8.5% of 73941 checklists9 am: 7.8% of 63039 checklists10 am: 6.5% of 52652 checklists11 am: 5.7% of 41908 checklists12 pm: 5.0% of 36782 checklists1 pm: 5.4% of 33300 checklists2 pm: 5.2% of 32248 checklists3 pm: 5.4% of 35451 checklists4 pm: 4.9% of 34410 checklists5 pm: 4.1% of 27073 checklists6 pm: 3.5% of 17375 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (10313) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (2756) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (672) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (412) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (256) 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
January5.6%5.7%5.5%5.4%
February5.5%4.5%4.5%5.6%
March5.3%5.4%5.6%5.7%
April5.8%6.8%8.0%8.6%
May8.0%7.2%7.1%6.9%
June6.8%6.4%7.0%7.1%
July6.5%6.6%6.6%6.0%
August5.8%5.4%5.9%5.9%
September7.0%7.2%8.4%8.1%
October7.7%6.7%6.7%5.8%
November5.9%5.6%5.9%6.1%
December6.2%5.9%7.0%6.2%

Neighboring states

  • North Carolina: year-round, peaks the second week of September
  • Georgia: year-round, peaks mid September
  • Tennessee: year-round, peaks late September
  • Virginia: year-round, peaks the second week of September

Common questions

When do Red-headed Woodpeckers arrive in South Carolina?
The Red-headed Woodpecker is in South Carolina all year. It turns up on about 8.2% of checklists at its peak (late April) and on 4.8% in its quietest week (the second week of February).
When do Red-headed Woodpeckers leave South Carolina?
The Red-headed Woodpecker does not leave South Carolina: it is reported all year, from 4.8% of checklists in the second week of February to 8.2% in late April.
When is the best time to see a Red-headed Woodpecker in South Carolina?
The Red-headed Woodpecker is reported most often in late April, on about 8.2% of South Carolina checklists.
Where in South Carolina are Red-headed Woodpeckers seen most often?
By county, Hampton County, McCormick County, and Marion County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-headed Woodpecker (counties with at least 200 checklists).