WhenToBird

Sphyrapicus nuchalis · Picidae

When Do Red-naped Sapsuckers Arrive in Arizona?

Adult male Red-naped Sapsucker
Photo: Marcel_Pepin, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Red-naped Sapsuckers are winter birds in Arizona: the first arrive in mid September, they are common by late September, peak in mid October (9.8% of checklists), and most are gone by mid February.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 15-21mid September
Common bySep 22-30late September
PeakOct 15-21mid October
Most gone byFeb 15-21mid February

Best: mid October. First arrivals mid September; most are gone by mid February. Peak: on about 9.8% of Arizona checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 5.1% of 34758 checklistsJan 8-14: 5.0% of 29835 checklistsJan 15-21: 4.4% of 29279 checklistsJan 22-31: 4.2% of 39716 checklistsFeb 1-7: 4.1% of 27299 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.7% of 28703 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.0% of 35357 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.1% of 29889 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.2% of 29932 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.5% of 32982 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.0% of 34731 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.5% of 50213 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.6% of 35788 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.9% of 38087 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.7% of 41520 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.1% of 55218 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.5% of 39688 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.2% of 39398 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.2% of 29562 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 36774 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 21313 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.2% of 19129 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.2% of 17922 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.3% of 21188 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.2% of 17325 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.2% of 16463 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 18642 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 31215 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 28163 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 31329 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 23878 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 28508 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 20878 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.4% of 19671 checklistsSep 15-21: 1.7% of 19859 checklistsSep 22-30: 4.7% of 25179 checklistsOct 1-7: 8.6% of 19420 checklistsOct 8-14: 10% of 21925 checklistsOct 15-21: 10% of 20995 checklistsOct 22-31: 9.2% of 29258 checklistsNov 1-7: 8.9% of 21269 checklistsNov 8-14: 8.4% of 22753 checklistsNov 15-21: 7.2% of 21982 checklistsNov 22-30: 6.0% of 29475 checklistsDec 1-7: 5.8% of 20810 checklistsDec 8-14: 6.1% of 22229 checklistsDec 15-21: 6.6% of 25148 checklistsDec 22-31: 5.2% of 39567 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 Arizona 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 Arizona

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Santa Cruz CountyBest mid October · 1744 checklists that week, 162,726 in all26%
  2. Cochise CountyBest mid October · 2118 checklists that week, 190,093 in all20%
  3. Pinal CountyBest late October · 861 checklists that week, 40,036 in all14%
  4. Yavapai CountyBest mid October · 1490 checklists that week, 83,606 in all12%
  5. Apache CountyBest the second week of October · 257 checklists that week, 12,931 in all12%
  6. Gila CountyBest mid October · 232 checklists that week, 14,834 in all12%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Coronado National Forest (Peach Tree Spring)Cochise County, best the second week of October · 55 checklists that week, 613 in all84%
  2. Ajo Municipal AirportPima County, best early November · 20 checklists that week, 584 in all73%
  3. Granite Basin LakeYavapai County, best early November · 49 checklists that week, 1,004 in all67%
  4. Parker Canyon LakeCochise County, best the second week of November · 30 checklists that week, 760 in all67%
  5. Smithsonian Institute Astrophysical Observatory Experimental Research AreaSanta Cruz County, best late October · 31 checklists that week, 2,714 in all66%

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

Best time of day

In Arizona, the Red-naped Sapsucker is most often listed on checklists started between 8 and 10 am (4.1% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (488) to judge1 am: too few checklists (503) to judge2 am: too few checklists (489) to judge3 am: too few checklists (735) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4115) to judge5 am: 0.5% of 38350 checklists6 am: 1.8% of 118786 checklists7 am: 3.4% of 183415 checklists8 am: 4.2% of 187346 checklists9 am: 4.0% of 151342 checklists10 am: 3.5% of 124522 checklists11 am: 3.2% of 97088 checklists12 pm: 3.0% of 78110 checklists1 pm: 3.0% of 73059 checklists2 pm: 2.6% of 68912 checklists3 pm: 2.5% of 68060 checklists4 pm: 1.9% of 69387 checklists5 pm: 0.8% of 52951 checklists6 pm: 0.3% of 31061 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (16076) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (5352) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2369) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1100) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (604) 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
January5.1%5.0%4.4%4.2%
February4.1%3.7%3.0%3.1%
March2.2%1.5%1.0%1.5%
April1.6%1.9%1.7%1.1%
May0.5%0.2%0.2%0.1%
June0.1%0.2%0.2%0.3%
July0.2%0.2%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0.4%1.7%4.7%
October8.6%10%10%9.2%
November8.9%8.4%7.2%6.0%
December5.8%6.1%6.6%5.2%

Neighboring states

  • New Mexico: arrives late August, 3 weeks earlier than Arizona
  • Nevada: arrives mid September, in the same week than Arizona
  • Utah: arrives mid March, 24 weeks earlier than Arizona
  • Colorado: arrives the second week of May, 17 weeks earlier than Arizona

Common questions

When do Red-naped Sapsuckers arrive in Arizona?
Red-naped Sapsuckers are winter birds in Arizona: the first arrive in mid September, they are common by late September, peak in mid October (9.8% of checklists), and most are gone by mid February.
When do Red-naped Sapsuckers leave Arizona?
Most Red-naped Sapsuckers have left Arizona by mid February, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until late April.
When is the best time to see a Red-naped Sapsucker in Arizona?
The Red-naped Sapsucker is reported most often in mid October, on about 9.8% of Arizona checklists.
Where in Arizona are Red-naped Sapsuckers seen most often?
By county, Santa Cruz County, Cochise County, and Pinal County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-naped Sapsucker (counties with at least 200 checklists).