WhenToBird

Sphyrapicus varius · Picidae

When Do Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers Arrive in South Carolina?

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

Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers are winter birds in South Carolina: the first arrive in early October, they are common by the second week of October, peak in late December (20% of checklists), and most are gone by mid March.

When to look

First arrivalsOct 1-7early October
Common byOct 8-14the second week of October
PeakDec 22-31late December
Most gone byMar 15-21mid March

Best: late December. First arrivals early October; most are gone by mid March. Peak: on about 20% of South Carolina 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. Seprare
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 20% of 15487 checklistsJan 8-14: 18% of 11691 checklistsJan 15-21: 17% of 11994 checklistsJan 22-31: 16% of 16225 checklistsFeb 1-7: 15% of 12192 checklistsFeb 8-14: 13% of 14044 checklistsFeb 15-21: 12% of 18483 checklistsFeb 22-28: 13% of 12045 checklistsMar 1-7: 12% of 11511 checklistsMar 8-14: 11% of 11704 checklistsMar 15-21: 9.3% of 11526 checklistsMar 22-31: 6.2% of 17386 checklistsApr 1-7: 2.1% of 13148 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.5% of 13193 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.3% of 13936 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.2% of 19002 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 14133 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 13668 checklistsMay 15-21: 0% of 11064 checklistsMay 22-31: 0% of 14461 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 10231 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 9417 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 8012 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 9720 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 7907 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 7338 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 7312 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 10877 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 7816 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 7655 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 7797 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 11246 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 8956 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 8929 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 9389 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.3% of 13028 checklistsOct 1-7: 2.7% of 11063 checklistsOct 8-14: 9.8% of 10968 checklistsOct 15-21: 17% of 10264 checklistsOct 22-31: 18% of 12917 checklistsNov 1-7: 16% of 8802 checklistsNov 8-14: 16% of 8339 checklistsNov 15-21: 18% of 8798 checklistsNov 22-30: 18% of 12925 checklistsDec 1-7: 19% of 8541 checklistsDec 8-14: 19% of 8609 checklistsDec 15-21: 20% of 9961 checklistsDec 22-31: 20% of 17541 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 South Carolina 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 South Carolina

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Clarendon CountyBest mid January · 224 checklists that week, 9,189 in all42%
  2. Union CountyBest mid January · 12 checklists that week, 851 in all36%
  3. Cherokee CountyBest mid January · 31 checklists that week, 2,823 in all36%
  4. Bamberg CountyBest late December · 19 checklists that week, 642 in all35%
  5. Hampton CountyBest mid January · 27 checklists that week, 1,038 in all34%
  6. Chester CountyBest the second week of October · 10 checklists that week, 921 in all30%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Big LakeRichland County, best the second week of January · 22 checklists that week, 919 in all75%
  2. Caw Caw Interpretive CenterCharleston County, best mid December · 63 checklists that week, 4,450 in all71%
  3. Magnolia Plantation and Gardens (Charleston, South Carolina)Charleston County, best late January · 41 checklists that week, 1,378 in all68%
  4. Charles Towne Landing State Historic SiteCharleston County, best the second week of December · 23 checklists that week, 762 in all67%
  5. Whooping Crane PondBeaufort County, best late December · 23 checklists that week, 349 in all67%

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

Best time of day

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

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (222) to judge1 am: too few checklists (160) to judge2 am: too few checklists (132) to judge3 am: too few checklists (212) to judge4 am: too few checklists (267) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1898) to judge6 am: 4.8% of 19280 checklists7 am: 9.8% of 66492 checklists8 am: 10% of 73941 checklists9 am: 9.9% of 63039 checklists10 am: 8.8% of 52652 checklists11 am: 7.9% of 41908 checklists12 pm: 7.5% of 36782 checklists1 pm: 8.2% of 33300 checklists2 pm: 8.4% of 32248 checklists3 pm: 8.1% of 35451 checklists4 pm: 5.9% of 34410 checklists5 pm: 2.6% of 27073 checklists6 pm: 0.8% of 17375 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (10313) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (2756) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (672) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (412) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (256) 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
January20%18%17%16%
February15%13%12%13%
March12%11%9.3%6.2%
April2.1%0.5%0.3%0.2%
May0.1%0.1%0%0%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0.1%0.1%0.3%
October2.7%9.8%17%18%
November16%16%18%18%
December19%19%20%20%

Neighboring states

  • North Carolina: arrives late September, 1 week earlier than South Carolina
  • Georgia: arrives early October, in the same week than South Carolina
  • Tennessee: arrives late September, 1 week earlier than South Carolina
  • Virginia: arrives late September, 1 week earlier than South Carolina

Common questions

When do Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers arrive in South Carolina?
Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers are winter birds in South Carolina: the first arrive in early October, they are common by the second week of October, peak in late December (20% of checklists), and most are gone by mid March.
When do Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers leave South Carolina?
Most Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers have left South Carolina by mid 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 South Carolina?
The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is reported most often in late December, on about 20% of South Carolina checklists.
Where in South Carolina are Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers seen most often?
By county, Clarendon County, Union County, and Cherokee County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (counties with at least 200 checklists).