WhenToBird

Sphyrapicus varius · Picidae

When Do Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers Arrive in Michigan?

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

Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers reach Michigan in late March, are common by early April, peak in mid April (7.1% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of October.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 22-31late March
Common byApr 1-7early April
PeakApr 15-21mid April
Most gone byOct 8-14the second week of October

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

  1. Janrare
  2. Febrare
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Auguncommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novrare
  12. Decrare

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

0%5%10%Jan 1-7: 0.3% of 38160 checklistsJan 8-14: 0.4% of 24696 checklistsJan 15-21: 0.5% of 23771 checklistsJan 22-31: 0.5% of 31347 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0.3% of 23225 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0.4% of 27398 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.3% of 36606 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.2% of 27127 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.2% of 29700 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.2% of 31587 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.2% of 32118 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.6% of 47777 checklistsApr 1-7: 3.3% of 38557 checklistsApr 8-14: 7.6% of 42207 checklistsApr 15-21: 8.2% of 42759 checklistsApr 22-30: 6.0% of 64458 checklistsMay 1-7: 4.6% of 60998 checklistsMay 8-14: 4.3% of 72091 checklistsMay 15-21: 5.0% of 59058 checklistsMay 22-31: 4.8% of 64724 checklistsJun 1-7: 4.1% of 35990 checklistsJun 8-14: 4.3% of 32595 checklistsJun 15-21: 4.4% of 30017 checklistsJun 22-30: 4.7% of 33988 checklistsJul 1-7: 4.5% of 28708 checklistsJul 8-14: 4.1% of 25175 checklistsJul 15-21: 3.0% of 24084 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.5% of 33522 checklistsAug 1-7: 2.3% of 25098 checklistsAug 8-14: 2.0% of 24353 checklistsAug 15-21: 1.8% of 25059 checklistsAug 22-31: 1.6% of 37489 checklistsSep 1-7: 1.7% of 28410 checklistsSep 8-14: 2.4% of 27887 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.0% of 26614 checklistsSep 22-30: 6.7% of 32557 checklistsOct 1-7: 7.7% of 25844 checklistsOct 8-14: 4.0% of 27741 checklistsOct 15-21: 1.7% of 24693 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.7% of 32460 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.7% of 23660 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.6% of 21542 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.6% of 19922 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.5% of 25069 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.6% of 18272 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.7% of 18961 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.6% of 24171 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.6% of 30908 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 Michigan 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 Michigan

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Ogemaw CountyBest early May · 143 checklists that week, 4,675 in all44%
  2. Oscoda CountyBest late April · 116 checklists that week, 4,044 in all41%
  3. Dickinson CountyBest late June · 68 checklists that week, 2,302 in all37%
  4. Gogebic CountyBest the second week of May · 120 checklists that week, 4,523 in all31%
  5. Ontonagon CountyBest late April · 63 checklists that week, 3,548 in all30%
  6. Montmorency CountyBest late April · 60 checklists that week, 1,725 in all29%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Trowbridge ParkMarquette County, best mid May · 20 checklists that week, 322 in all79%
  2. Pigeon River Country State Forest AreaOtsego County, best mid June · 24 checklists that week, 455 in all73%
  3. Wigwam Bay State Wildlife AreaArenac County, best the second week of May · 34 checklists that week, 327 in all66%
  4. Sleeping Bear Dunes Wilderness AreaBenzie County, best late April · 42 checklists that week, 1,141 in all64%
  5. Crystal BayouSaginaw County, best late April · 68 checklists that week, 1,554 in all61%

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

Best time of day

In Michigan, the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (5.1% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%12 am: too few checklists (712) to judge1 am: too few checklists (592) to judge2 am: too few checklists (532) to judge3 am: too few checklists (516) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1592) to judge5 am: too few checklists (6849) to judge6 am: 7.1% of 39298 checklists7 am: 4.5% of 120344 checklists8 am: 3.8% of 180109 checklists9 am: 3.4% of 171966 checklists10 am: 2.9% of 156332 checklists11 am: 2.5% of 134964 checklists12 pm: 2.3% of 120967 checklists1 pm: 2.3% of 113852 checklists2 pm: 2.1% of 110773 checklists3 pm: 2.1% of 105530 checklists4 pm: 2.0% of 100958 checklists5 pm: 2.3% of 80085 checklists6 pm: 2.3% of 62883 checklists7 pm: 1.8% of 44912 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (21062) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5920) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1629) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (775) 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
January0.3%0.4%0.5%0.5%
February0.3%0.4%0.3%0.2%
March0.2%0.2%0.2%0.6%
April3.3%7.6%8.2%6.0%
May4.6%4.3%5.0%4.8%
June4.1%4.3%4.4%4.7%
July4.5%4.1%3.0%2.5%
August2.3%2.0%1.8%1.6%
September1.7%2.4%3.0%6.7%
October7.7%4.0%1.7%0.7%
November0.7%0.6%0.6%0.5%
December0.6%0.7%0.6%0.6%

Neighboring states

  • Ohio: arrives mid September, 23 weeks later than Michigan
  • Indiana: arrives mid March, 1 week earlier than Michigan
  • Illinois: arrives mid March, 1 week earlier than Michigan
  • Wisconsin: arrives late March, in the same week than Michigan

Common questions

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