WhenToBird

Sphyrapicus varius · Picidae

When Do Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers Arrive in Texas?

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

Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers are winter birds in Texas: the first arrive in the second week of October, they are common by mid October, peak in late December (6.3% 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 22-31late December
Most gone byMar 8-14the second week of March

Best: late December. First arrivals the second week of October; most are gone by the second week of March. Peak: on about 6.3% of Texas 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. Seprare
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 6.2% of 66038 checklistsJan 8-14: 5.6% of 52445 checklistsJan 15-21: 5.6% of 52985 checklistsJan 22-31: 5.2% of 71020 checklistsFeb 1-7: 5.0% of 52306 checklistsFeb 8-14: 4.4% of 55887 checklistsFeb 15-21: 4.0% of 69016 checklistsFeb 22-28: 4.1% of 52998 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.7% of 50836 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.1% of 51749 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.6% of 53731 checklistsMar 22-31: 1.6% of 82049 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.1% of 65854 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.2% of 78434 checklistsApr 15-21: 1.1% of 92302 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.4% of 122878 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 74592 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.1% of 61008 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.1% of 43365 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 52736 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 31643 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 30131 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 26802 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 32822 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 27213 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 24555 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 24146 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 34536 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 25764 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 26347 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 28431 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 42838 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 35070 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 33893 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 32572 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 43771 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.7% of 34143 checklistsOct 8-14: 1.7% of 37563 checklistsOct 15-21: 3.7% of 36263 checklistsOct 22-31: 4.8% of 49170 checklistsNov 1-7: 4.4% of 43301 checklistsNov 8-14: 4.7% of 48744 checklistsNov 15-21: 5.3% of 42213 checklistsNov 22-30: 5.2% of 54455 checklistsDec 1-7: 5.4% of 40166 checklistsDec 8-14: 5.5% of 41035 checklistsDec 15-21: 6.7% of 46983 checklistsDec 22-31: 6.1% of 73015 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 Texas 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 Texas

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Van Zandt CountyBest the second week of December · 36 checklists that week, 2,380 in all40%
  2. San Augustine CountyBest early January · 17 checklists that week, 745 in all39%
  3. Shelby CountyBest early December · 16 checklists that week, 1,347 in all38%
  4. Delta CountyBest early December · 23 checklists that week, 636 in all35%
  5. Liberty CountyBest the second week of December · 42 checklists that week, 3,558 in all34%
  6. Marion CountyBest mid December · 28 checklists that week, 1,688 in all34%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Mary Jo Peckham Park For All ChildrenHarris County, best late January · 65 checklists that week, 307 in all71%
  2. Tyler State ParkSmith County, best early January · 23 checklists that week, 1,126 in all71%
  3. Ray Roberts Lake State ParkDenton County, best late December · 20 checklists that week, 918 in all60%
  4. Heard Science Museum and SanctuaryCollin County, best the second week of December · 41 checklists that week, 1,452 in all56%
  5. San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge (south)Brazoria County, best late December · 31 checklists that week, 505 in all55%

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

Best time of day

In Texas, the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (3.4% of those checklists).

0%1%2%3%4%12 am: too few checklists (898) to judge1 am: too few checklists (756) to judge2 am: too few checklists (663) to judge3 am: too few checklists (741) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1537) to judge5 am: too few checklists (6113) to judge6 am: 2.2% of 74687 checklists7 am: 3.5% of 285131 checklists8 am: 3.3% of 329960 checklists9 am: 3.0% of 267889 checklists10 am: 2.7% of 218205 checklists11 am: 2.3% of 178879 checklists12 pm: 2.4% of 153722 checklists1 pm: 2.5% of 144662 checklists2 pm: 2.6% of 138578 checklists3 pm: 2.5% of 136878 checklists4 pm: 1.9% of 137550 checklists5 pm: 0.9% of 113599 checklists6 pm: 0.3% of 81743 checklists7 pm: 0.1% of 53396 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (17221) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4048) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1965) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (990) 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
January6.2%5.6%5.6%5.2%
February5.0%4.4%4.0%4.1%
March3.7%3.1%2.6%1.6%
April1.1%1.2%1.1%0.4%
May0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0.1%0.1%0.1%
October0.7%1.7%3.7%4.8%
November4.4%4.7%5.3%5.2%
December5.4%5.5%6.7%6.1%

Neighboring states

  • Louisiana: arrives late September, 2 weeks earlier than Texas
  • Oklahoma: arrives early October, 1 week earlier than Texas
  • Arkansas: arrives late September, 2 weeks earlier than Texas
  • Mississippi: arrives early October, 1 week earlier than Texas

Common questions

When do Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers arrive in Texas?
Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers are winter birds in Texas: the first arrive in the second week of October, they are common by mid October, peak in late December (6.3% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.
When do Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers leave Texas?
Most Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers have left Texas by the second week of March, 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 Texas?
The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is reported most often in late December, on about 6.3% of Texas checklists.
Where in Texas are Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers seen most often?
By county, Van Zandt County, San Augustine County, and Shelby County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (counties with at least 200 checklists).