WhenToBird

Sphyrapicus nuchalis · Picidae

When Do Red-naped Sapsuckers Arrive in Colorado?

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

Red-naped Sapsuckers arrive in Colorado in the second week of May, peak in the second week of July (4.1% of checklists), and most are gone by early October.

When to look

First arrivalsMay 8-14the second week of May
Common byMay 8-14the second week of May
PeakJul 8-14the second week of July
Most gone byOct 1-7early October

Best: the second week of July. First arrivals the second week of May; most are gone by early October. Peak: on about 4.1% of Colorado checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febnot usually seen
  3. Marrare
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novnot usually seen
  12. Decnot usually seen

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

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 0.1% of 32254 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.1% of 23278 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.1% of 22933 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.1% of 30856 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.1% of 21464 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.1% of 22910 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.1% of 28739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.1% of 21833 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.1% of 23066 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.1% of 23783 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.1% of 24797 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.2% of 38439 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.6% of 31676 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.0% of 35092 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.2% of 36778 checklistsApr 22-30: 1.0% of 50885 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.9% of 44186 checklistsMay 8-14: 1.0% of 49011 checklistsMay 15-21: 1.4% of 40784 checklistsMay 22-31: 1.6% of 53073 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.0% of 32432 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.4% of 29978 checklistsJun 15-21: 3.3% of 29457 checklistsJun 22-30: 3.4% of 36072 checklistsJul 1-7: 4.0% of 28857 checklistsJul 8-14: 4.5% of 27224 checklistsJul 15-21: 3.7% of 27629 checklistsJul 22-31: 3.1% of 37318 checklistsAug 1-7: 2.3% of 25893 checklistsAug 8-14: 1.9% of 24870 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.8% of 24035 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.7% of 35691 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.0% of 27068 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.4% of 26709 checklistsSep 15-21: 2.5% of 26098 checklistsSep 22-30: 2.4% of 31550 checklistsOct 1-7: 1.7% of 24110 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.7% of 23352 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.2% of 21895 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 28319 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 21698 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 21061 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.1% of 19855 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 25798 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.1% of 18626 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.1% of 19004 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.1% of 23103 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.1% of 30802 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 Colorado 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 Colorado

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Teller CountyBest the second week of July · 369 checklists that week, 11,258 in all17%
  2. Routt CountyBest the second week of July · 243 checklists that week, 10,504 in all16%
  3. Rio Blanco CountyBest mid July · 58 checklists that week, 2,806 in all15%
  4. Gunnison CountyBest early July · 498 checklists that week, 9,894 in all15%
  5. Conejos CountyBest the second week of September · 19 checklists that week, 1,636 in all15%
  6. Pitkin CountyBest the second week of September · 358 checklists that week, 15,513 in all15%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Pike National ForestEl Paso County, best the second week of July · 22 checklists that week, 434 in all83%
  2. Casto CreekJefferson County, best early July · 76 checklists that week, 1,275 in all59%
  3. Rocky Mountain National Park Wilderness Area (Roaring River)Larimer County, best early July · 32 checklists that week, 505 in all58%
  4. Rocky Mountain National Park (Roaring River)Larimer County, best early July · 55 checklists that week, 809 in all53%
  5. Manitou Park LakeTeller County, best late July · 60 checklists that week, 1,376 in all51%
  6. Eagles Nest WildernessSummit County, best late July · 63 checklists that week, 185 in all50%

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

Best time of day

In Colorado, the Red-naped Sapsucker is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (1.9% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%12 am: too few checklists (512) to judge1 am: too few checklists (468) to judge2 am: too few checklists (513) to judge3 am: too few checklists (656) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1918) to judge5 am: too few checklists (16045) to judge6 am: 2.0% of 71991 checklists7 am: 1.8% of 159189 checklists8 am: 1.6% of 177206 checklists9 am: 1.4% of 165269 checklists10 am: 1.2% of 141029 checklists11 am: 1.0% of 115283 checklists12 pm: 0.8% of 96068 checklists1 pm: 0.8% of 89512 checklists2 pm: 0.8% of 86319 checklists3 pm: 0.7% of 82496 checklists4 pm: 0.8% of 71648 checklists5 pm: 1.0% of 52445 checklists6 pm: 1.1% of 40199 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24246) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (7986) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2004) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (888) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (450) 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
January0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
February0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
March0.1%0.1%0.1%0.2%
April0.6%1.0%1.2%1.0%
May0.9%1.0%1.4%1.6%
June2.0%2.4%3.3%3.4%
July4.0%4.5%3.7%3.1%
August2.3%1.9%1.8%1.7%
September2.0%2.4%2.5%2.4%
October1.7%0.7%0.2%0.1%
November0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
December0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%

Neighboring states

  • Wyoming: arrives mid April, 3 weeks earlier than Colorado
  • New Mexico: arrives late August, 14 weeks later than Colorado
  • Utah: arrives mid March, 7 weeks earlier than Colorado
  • South Dakota: arrives the second week of May, in the same week than Colorado

Common questions

When do Red-naped Sapsuckers arrive in Colorado?
Red-naped Sapsuckers arrive in Colorado in the second week of May, peak in the second week of July (4.1% of checklists), and most are gone by early October.
When do Red-naped Sapsuckers leave Colorado?
Most Red-naped Sapsuckers have left Colorado by early October, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Red-naped Sapsucker in Colorado?
The Red-naped Sapsucker is reported most often in the second week of July, on about 4.1% of Colorado checklists.
Where in Colorado are Red-naped Sapsuckers seen most often?
By county, Teller County, Routt County, and Rio Blanco County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Red-naped Sapsucker (counties with at least 200 checklists).