WhenToBird

Sphyrapicus varius · Picidae

When Do Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers Arrive in Florida?

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

Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers are winter birds in Florida: the first arrive in the second week of October, they are common by mid October, peak in mid December (7.1% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 8-14the second week of October
Common byOct 15-21mid October
PeakDec 15-21mid December
Most gone byMar 8-14the second week of March

Best: mid December. First arrivals the second week of October; most are gone by the second week of March. Peak: on about 7.1% of Florida checklists.

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

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 6.8% of 74446 checklistsJan 8-14: 6.9% of 60074 checklistsJan 15-21: 7.0% of 62945 checklistsJan 22-31: 6.5% of 84954 checklistsFeb 1-7: 6.4% of 59204 checklistsFeb 8-14: 6.0% of 63259 checklistsFeb 15-21: 5.4% of 77150 checklistsFeb 22-28: 5.5% of 62850 checklistsMar 1-7: 5.1% of 58560 checklistsMar 8-14: 4.5% of 57756 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.5% of 54898 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.9% of 76702 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.7% of 55096 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.3% of 55892 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.2% of 59358 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 73124 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 47915 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 44114 checklistsMay 15-21: 0% of 31858 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 40723 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.1% of 31668 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 27802 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 26698 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 32346 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 23826 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 23071 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 22903 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 32952 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 25093 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 24888 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 26030 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 38612 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 31023 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 30022 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 31611 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 42108 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.3% of 36219 checklistsOct 8-14: 2.2% of 43113 checklistsOct 15-21: 5.6% of 40987 checklistsOct 22-31: 7.1% of 53457 checklistsNov 1-7: 6.8% of 38587 checklistsNov 8-14: 6.5% of 39208 checklistsNov 15-21: 7.1% of 39729 checklistsNov 22-30: 6.9% of 54965 checklistsDec 1-7: 6.9% of 42070 checklistsDec 8-14: 6.7% of 43424 checklistsDec 15-21: 7.5% of 50581 checklistsDec 22-31: 7.1% of 82405 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 Florida 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 Florida

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Washington CountyBest late December · 74 checklists that week, 1,773 in all41%
  2. Lafayette CountyBest early January · 40 checklists that week, 1,203 in all32%
  3. Baker CountyBest the second week of January · 18 checklists that week, 1,308 in all29%
  4. Columbia CountyBest late October · 130 checklists that week, 5,568 in all25%
  5. Gilchrist CountyBest late December · 57 checklists that week, 1,979 in all24%
  6. Union CountyBest mid February · 20 checklists that week, 661 in all24%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Cady Way ParkOrange County, best late November · 37 checklists that week, 1,122 in all73%
  2. Lake DestinySeminole County, best late November · 31 checklists that week, 1,410 in all64%
  3. Vista ParkBroward County, best late January · 25 checklists that week, 608 in all64%
  4. Turkey Creek Hammock PreserveAlachua County, best late October · 24 checklists that week, 815 in all64%
  5. Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park (southeast 2)Alachua County, best late January · 20 checklists that week, 635 in all62%
  6. Ochlockonee River State ParkWakulla County, best the second week of February · 30 checklists that week, 556 in all62%

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

Best time of day

In Florida, the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (4.9% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (771) to judge1 am: too few checklists (771) to judge2 am: too few checklists (701) to judge3 am: too few checklists (752) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1378) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9462) to judge6 am: 4.2% of 94591 checklists7 am: 5.1% of 296183 checklists8 am: 4.7% of 319987 checklists9 am: 3.9% of 254830 checklists10 am: 3.4% of 209480 checklists11 am: 3.1% of 163924 checklists12 pm: 3.2% of 133478 checklists1 pm: 3.2% of 125012 checklists2 pm: 3.1% of 125299 checklists3 pm: 3.2% of 131072 checklists4 pm: 2.8% of 134410 checklists5 pm: 1.5% of 113373 checklists6 pm: 0.4% of 69886 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (37509) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (8966) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2093) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1485) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (862) 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
January6.8%6.9%7.0%6.5%
February6.4%6.0%5.4%5.5%
March5.1%4.5%3.5%1.9%
April0.7%0.3%0.2%0.1%
May0.1%0.1%0%0.1%
June0.1%0%0%0%
July0%0.1%0%0.1%
August0%0%0.1%0%
September0%0%0.1%0.1%
October0.3%2.2%5.6%7.1%
November6.8%6.5%7.1%6.9%
December6.9%6.7%7.5%7.1%

Neighboring states

  • Georgia: arrives early October, 1 week earlier than Florida
  • South Carolina: arrives early October, 1 week earlier than Florida
  • Alabama: arrives early October, 1 week earlier than Florida
  • Mississippi: arrives early October, 1 week earlier than Florida

Common questions

When do Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers arrive in Florida?
Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers are winter birds in Florida: the first arrive in the second week of October, they are common by mid October, peak in mid December (7.1% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.
When do Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers leave Florida?
Most Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers have left Florida by the second week of March, when reports fall below half their usual rate. Stragglers are still reported until early April.
When is the best time to see a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker in Florida?
The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is reported most often in mid December, on about 7.1% of Florida checklists.
Where in Florida are Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers seen most often?
By county, Washington County, Lafayette County, and Baker County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (counties with at least 200 checklists).