WhenToBird

Melanerpes erythrocephalus · Picidae

When Do Red-headed Woodpeckers Arrive in Virginia?

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

The Red-headed Woodpecker is in Virginia all year. It turns up on about 5.5% of checklists at its peak (the second week of September) and on 2.5% in its quietest week (mid January).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekSep 8-14the second week of September
Quietest weekJan 15-21mid January

Best: the second week of September. Here all year. Peak: on about 5.5% of Virginia checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  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%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 2.8% of 32817 checklistsJan 8-14: 2.6% of 25111 checklistsJan 15-21: 2.4% of 25510 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.5% of 34492 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.7% of 24950 checklistsFeb 8-14: 2.6% of 28224 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.5% of 43578 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.9% of 26467 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.7% of 25851 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.8% of 25901 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.9% of 26747 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.6% of 40819 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.8% of 31351 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.9% of 33239 checklistsApr 15-21: 3.5% of 37284 checklistsApr 22-30: 4.6% of 54364 checklistsMay 1-7: 4.7% of 47698 checklistsMay 8-14: 4.0% of 46174 checklistsMay 15-21: 3.9% of 36444 checklistsMay 22-31: 3.7% of 43203 checklistsJun 1-7: 3.6% of 28503 checklistsJun 8-14: 3.7% of 25485 checklistsJun 15-21: 4.0% of 23728 checklistsJun 22-30: 4.1% of 28785 checklistsJul 1-7: 3.5% of 22294 checklistsJul 8-14: 3.4% of 20481 checklistsJul 15-21: 3.3% of 18914 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.2% of 26976 checklistsAug 1-7: 3.3% of 19555 checklistsAug 8-14: 3.0% of 18744 checklistsAug 15-21: 3.3% of 18721 checklistsAug 22-31: 3.8% of 28763 checklistsSep 1-7: 5.0% of 23594 checklistsSep 8-14: 5.8% of 22581 checklistsSep 15-21: 5.8% of 23036 checklistsSep 22-30: 4.9% of 29687 checklistsOct 1-7: 4.3% of 24321 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.6% of 23946 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.3% of 22191 checklistsOct 22-31: 3.1% of 30161 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.5% of 21431 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.8% of 22758 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.3% of 19988 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.1% of 27665 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.1% of 19324 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.1% of 20316 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.5% of 25675 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.3% of 38677 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 Virginia 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 Virginia

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Sussex CountyBest mid May · 77 checklists that week, 2,371 in all41%
  2. Clarke CountyBest early September · 179 checklists that week, 8,388 in all32%
  3. Charlotte CountyBest early September · 36 checklists that week, 1,313 in all27%
  4. Campbell CountyBest the second week of November · 27 checklists that week, 3,060 in all24%
  5. Surry CountyBest early August · 69 checklists that week, 2,669 in all21%
  6. Highland CountyBest early September · 46 checklists that week, 4,762 in all20%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Sky Meadows State ParkFauquier County, best late June · 24 checklists that week, 710 in all87%
  2. Brownsville FarmNorthampton County, best the second week of July · 23 checklists that week, 690 in all70%
  3. Conway Robinson Memorial State ForestPrince William County, best early September · 26 checklists that week, 248 in all69%
  4. Robious Landing ParkChesterfield County, best mid February · 41 checklists that week, 679 in all69%
  5. Piney GroveSussex County, best the second week of May · 25 checklists that week, 615 in all69%

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

Best time of day

In Virginia, the Red-headed Woodpecker is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (5.1% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (485) to judge1 am: too few checklists (488) to judge2 am: too few checklists (423) to judge3 am: too few checklists (565) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1410) to judge5 am: too few checklists (10265) to judge6 am: 5.2% of 64788 checklists7 am: 5.1% of 169128 checklists8 am: 4.6% of 180748 checklists9 am: 3.7% of 153462 checklists10 am: 3.2% of 128966 checklists11 am: 3.0% of 104204 checklists12 pm: 2.7% of 91604 checklists1 pm: 2.8% of 85547 checklists2 pm: 2.7% of 82355 checklists3 pm: 2.8% of 82265 checklists4 pm: 2.6% of 76714 checklists5 pm: 2.4% of 56782 checklists6 pm: 2.1% of 40131 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24290) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (7744) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2383) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1122) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (651) 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
January2.8%2.6%2.4%2.5%
February2.7%2.6%2.5%2.9%
March2.7%2.8%2.9%2.6%
April2.8%2.9%3.5%4.6%
May4.7%4.0%3.9%3.7%
June3.6%3.7%4.0%4.1%
July3.5%3.4%3.3%3.2%
August3.3%3.0%3.3%3.8%
September5.0%5.8%5.8%4.9%
October4.3%3.6%3.3%3.1%
November3.5%2.8%3.3%3.1%
December3.1%3.1%3.5%3.3%

Neighboring states

  • District of Columbia: summer visitor, peaks the second week of September
  • Maryland: summer visitor, peaks the second week of September
  • West Virginia: summer visitor, peaks the second week of September
  • Delaware: summer visitor, peaks the second week of July

Common questions

When do Red-headed Woodpeckers arrive in Virginia?
The Red-headed Woodpecker is in Virginia all year. It turns up on about 5.5% of checklists at its peak (the second week of September) and on 2.5% in its quietest week (mid January).
When do Red-headed Woodpeckers leave Virginia?
The Red-headed Woodpecker does not leave Virginia: it is reported all year, from 2.5% of checklists in mid January to 5.5% in the second week of September.
When is the best time to see a Red-headed Woodpecker in Virginia?
The Red-headed Woodpecker is reported most often in the second week of September, on about 5.5% of Virginia checklists.
Where in Virginia are Red-headed Woodpeckers seen most often?
By county, Sussex County, Clarke County, and Charlotte County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-headed Woodpecker (counties with at least 200 checklists).