WhenToBird

Sphyrapicus varius · Picidae

When Do Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers Arrive in Kansas?

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

Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers are winter birds in Kansas: they arrive in early October, peak in the second week of December (4.3% of checklists), and most are gone by early April.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 1-7early October
Common byOct 1-7early October
PeakDec 8-14the second week of December
Most gone byApr 1-7early April

Best: the second week of December. First arrivals early October; most are gone by early April. Peak: on about 4.3% of Kansas 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%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 3.5% of 8683 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.0% of 5710 checklistsJan 15-21: 3.2% of 5453 checklistsJan 22-31: 2.3% of 7868 checklistsFeb 1-7: 2.5% of 5579 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.2% of 6307 checklistsFeb 15-21: 2.3% of 7830 checklistsFeb 22-28: 2.2% of 6124 checklistsMar 1-7: 1.6% of 6442 checklistsMar 8-14: 1.9% of 6925 checklistsMar 15-21: 1.5% of 7257 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.2% of 11527 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.6% of 8908 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.7% of 11070 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.3% of 11050 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 16381 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 15899 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 15349 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 10474 checklistsMay 22-31: 0% of 11264 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 6783 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 5654 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 4716 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 6232 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 5073 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 4528 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 4210 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 5986 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 4661 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 4762 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 4823 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 7214 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 5989 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 5549 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 5255 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.7% of 7370 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.2% of 5829 checklistsOct 8-14: 3.2% of 6183 checklistsOct 15-21: 2.5% of 5504 checklistsOct 22-31: 2.6% of 7289 checklistsNov 1-7: 3.0% of 5535 checklistsNov 8-14: 2.7% of 5462 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.5% of 4929 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.7% of 6627 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.6% of 4670 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.9% of 4805 checklistsDec 15-21: 5.1% of 6341 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.8% of 8186 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 Kansas 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 Kansas

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Cloud CountyBest the second week of January · 15 checklists that week, 586 in all27%
  2. Bourbon CountyBest the second week of December · 11 checklists that week, 765 in all21%
  3. Wilson CountyBest late February · 14 checklists that week, 551 in all17%
  4. Labette CountyBest early December · 10 checklists that week, 1,249 in all17%
  5. Dickinson CountyBest the second week of October · 13 checklists that week, 484 in all14%
  6. Allen CountyBest the second week of December · 23 checklists that week, 1,562 in all13%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Felker ParkShawnee County, best mid October · 28 checklists that week, 988 in all34%
  2. Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical GardensJohnson County, best the second week of April · 26 checklists that week, 1,032 in all23%
  3. Otoe Public Use AreaRussell County, best late March · 28 checklists that week, 362 in all23%
  4. Wyandotte Co LakeWyandotte County, best the second week of December · 21 checklists that week, 882 in all22%
  5. Kaw River State ParkShawnee County, best late December · 21 checklists that week, 823 in all18%
  6. Perry Recreation Area (north 3)Jefferson County, best late December · 38 checklists that week, 101 in all18%

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

Best time of day

In Kansas, the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is most often listed on checklists started between 8 and 10 am (2.0% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%12 am: too few checklists (150) to judge1 am: too few checklists (119) to judge2 am: too few checklists (97) to judge3 am: too few checklists (94) to judge4 am: too few checklists (124) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1459) to judge6 am: 0.3% of 12550 checklists7 am: 1.5% of 34128 checklists8 am: 2.1% of 45960 checklists9 am: 1.8% of 37806 checklists10 am: 1.6% of 32102 checklists11 am: 1.6% of 25896 checklists12 pm: 1.5% of 24203 checklists1 pm: 1.5% of 20269 checklists2 pm: 1.5% of 20772 checklists3 pm: 1.6% of 20978 checklists4 pm: 0.9% of 22094 checklists5 pm: 0.6% of 17739 checklists6 pm: 0.2% of 13963 checklists7 pm: 0.1% of 10110 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (4188) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (968) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (325) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (171) 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
January3.5%3.0%3.2%2.3%
February2.5%3.2%2.3%2.2%
March1.6%1.9%1.5%2.2%
April1.6%0.7%0.3%0.1%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0.1%0.7%
October2.2%3.2%2.5%2.6%
November3.0%2.7%3.5%3.7%
December3.6%3.9%5.1%3.8%

Neighboring states

  • Nebraska: arrives late September, 1 week earlier than Kansas
  • Oklahoma: arrives early October, in the same week than Kansas
  • Missouri: arrives mid September, 2 weeks earlier than Kansas
  • Arkansas: arrives late September, 1 week earlier than Kansas

Common questions

When do Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers arrive in Kansas?
Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers are winter birds in Kansas: they arrive in early October, peak in the second week of December (4.3% of checklists), and most are gone by early April.
When do Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers leave Kansas?
Most Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers have left Kansas by early April, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker in Kansas?
The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is reported most often in the second week of December, on about 4.3% of Kansas checklists.
Where in Kansas are Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers seen most often?
By county, Cloud County, Bourbon County, and Wilson County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (counties with at least 200 checklists).