WhenToBird

Sphyrapicus varius · Picidae

When Do Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers Arrive in Arkansas?

Adult male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Photo: Barry Cottam, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers are winter birds in Arkansas: the first arrive in late September, they are common by early October, peak in mid December (12% of checklists), and most are gone by early April.

When to look

First arrivalsSep 22-30late September
Common byOct 1-7early October
PeakDec 15-21mid December
Most gone byApr 1-7early April

Best: mid December. First arrivals late September; most are gone by early April. Peak: on about 12% of Arkansas checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepuncommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 11% of 5292 checklistsJan 8-14: 9.9% of 4085 checklistsJan 15-21: 9.0% of 4531 checklistsJan 22-31: 7.8% of 6500 checklistsFeb 1-7: 7.7% of 4752 checklistsFeb 8-14: 7.5% of 5385 checklistsFeb 15-21: 6.7% of 7219 checklistsFeb 22-28: 5.4% of 4163 checklistsMar 1-7: 5.5% of 3952 checklistsMar 8-14: 5.7% of 4067 checklistsMar 15-21: 8.1% of 4446 checklistsMar 22-31: 7.5% of 6911 checklistsApr 1-7: 4.3% of 5422 checklistsApr 8-14: 2.0% of 6043 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.6% of 6759 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.3% of 10236 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 8243 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 7467 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 6160 checklistsMay 22-31: 0% of 7287 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 4884 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 4444 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 3579 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 3858 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 3042 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 2889 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 2599 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 3825 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 2951 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 2765 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 2838 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 4360 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 3573 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 3314 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.2% of 3118 checklistsSep 22-30: 1.4% of 4381 checklistsOct 1-7: 4.5% of 3640 checklistsOct 8-14: 6.8% of 4119 checklistsOct 15-21: 8.5% of 3810 checklistsOct 22-31: 8.8% of 4956 checklistsNov 1-7: 8.1% of 3704 checklistsNov 8-14: 8.2% of 3678 checklistsNov 15-21: 9.5% of 3457 checklistsNov 22-30: 10% of 4648 checklistsDec 1-7: 11% of 3390 checklistsDec 8-14: 11% of 3510 checklistsDec 15-21: 12% of 4540 checklistsDec 22-31: 13% of 6404 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 Arkansas 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 Arkansas

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Phillips CountyBest mid December · 10 checklists that week, 523 in all38%
  2. Perry CountyBest the second week of December · 10 checklists that week, 706 in all35%
  3. Izard CountyBest mid November · 13 checklists that week, 788 in all34%
  4. Carroll CountyBest late November · 55 checklists that week, 3,417 in all34%
  5. Franklin CountyBest the second week of December · 13 checklists that week, 1,315 in all32%
  6. Cross CountyBest the second week of December · 14 checklists that week, 473 in all32%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Lake BalboaGarland County, best late January · 32 checklists that week, 736 in all56%
  2. Shores LakeFranklin County, best mid March · 22 checklists that week, 100 in all49%
  3. Lake Sequoyah ParkWashington County, best the second week of December · 25 checklists that week, 1,719 in all28%
  4. Crain LakeSebastian County, best late December · 42 checklists that week, 1,284 in all27%
  5. Craighead Forest ParkCraighead County, best late March · 24 checklists that week, 818 in all26%
  6. Logoly State ParkColumbia County, best the second week of November · 31 checklists that week, 1,288 in all22%

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

Best time of day

In Arkansas, the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (5.5% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (98) to judge1 am: too few checklists (88) to judge2 am: too few checklists (95) to judge3 am: too few checklists (94) to judge4 am: too few checklists (145) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1455) to judge6 am: 2.5% of 10807 checklists7 am: 5.2% of 27761 checklists8 am: 5.7% of 30943 checklists9 am: 5.0% of 26975 checklists10 am: 4.4% of 21989 checklists11 am: 4.6% of 16828 checklists12 pm: 4.9% of 14069 checklists1 pm: 4.7% of 13145 checklists2 pm: 5.1% of 12780 checklists3 pm: 5.7% of 12723 checklists4 pm: 3.8% of 12500 checklists5 pm: 1.6% of 9576 checklists6 pm: 0.4% of 7182 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (4187) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (1314) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (245) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (122) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (75) 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
January11%9.9%9.0%7.8%
February7.7%7.5%6.7%5.4%
March5.5%5.7%8.1%7.5%
April4.3%2.0%0.6%0.3%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0.1%0.1%0.2%1.4%
October4.5%6.8%8.5%8.8%
November8.1%8.2%9.5%10%
December11%11%12%13%

Neighboring states

  • Missouri: arrives mid September, 1 week earlier than Arkansas
  • Oklahoma: arrives early October, 1 week later than Arkansas
  • Kansas: arrives early October, 1 week later than Arkansas
  • Mississippi: arrives early October, 1 week later than Arkansas

Common questions

When do Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers arrive in Arkansas?
Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers are winter birds in Arkansas: the first arrive in late September, they are common by early October, peak in mid December (12% of checklists), and most are gone by early April.
When do Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers leave Arkansas?
Most Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers have left Arkansas by early April, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until the second week of April.
When is the best time to see a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker in Arkansas?
The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is reported most often in mid December, on about 12% of Arkansas checklists.
Where in Arkansas are Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers seen most often?
By county, Phillips County, Perry County, and Izard County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (counties with at least 200 checklists).