West · Central Flyway
Woodpeckers in Colorado
Woodpeckers in Colorado come down to 13 species with regular eBird records, led by the Northern Flicker. Together they account for 767,999 of the 16 million eBird records from 2020–2024 — 4.7% of everything reported in the state.
The full list: Northern Flicker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Red-naped Sapsucker, Lewis's Woodpecker, Williamson's Sapsucker, Red-headed Woodpecker, American Three-toed Woodpecker, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Acorn Woodpecker and Golden-fronted Woodpecker. Woodpeckers are the birds you hear before you see: drumming on trunks, excavating nest cavities, and calling loudly from the canopy. Most are year-round residents, and the holes they leave behind become homes for owls, bluebirds, and other cavity nesters.
Woodpeckers in Colorado: every species, most-reported first
Every woodpecker with at least 25 eBird records in the state from 2020–2024, most-reported first. The status label is derived from each species’ own monthly share of all state records.
1. Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) — 454,086 records, 2.8% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
2. Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens) — 177,042 records, 1.1% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
3. Hairy Woodpecker (Leuconotopicus villosus) — 75,142 records, 0.5% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
4. Red-naped Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus nuchalis) — 19,865 records, 0.1% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from June to September and peaking in July.
5. Lewis's Woodpecker (Melanerpes lewis) — 12,226 records, 0.08% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
6. Williamson's Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus thyroideus) — 7,860 records, 0.05% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from June to September and peaking in July.
7. Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) — 7,383 records, 0.05% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from May to September and peaking in May.
8. American Three-toed Woodpecker (Picoides dorsalis) — 5,600 records, 0.03% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from June to September and peaking in July.
9. Ladder-backed Woodpecker (Dryobates scalaris) — 5,488 records, 0.03% of the state’s eBird total; a passage migrant, reported mainly in April, May and September with a peak in May.
10. Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) — 1,611 records, 0.01% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from October to May and peaking in December.
11. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius) — 1,279 records, 0.01% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from October to January and peaking in December.
12. Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus) — 328 records, 0.00% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from January to August and peaking in July.
The remaining 1 species — Golden-fronted Woodpecker — are recorded regularly but in smaller numbers; see the cards above for their status.
When to see woodpeckers in Colorado
Adding up every species’ share of state eBird records month by month, woodpeckers are most prominent in February, December and October and least in May and June. 4 of the 13 species are year-round — Northern Flicker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker and Lewis's Woodpecker — so there is no month without them.
Summer visitors. Red-naped Sapsucker arrives around June and is mostly gone after September (peak July); Williamson's Sapsucker arrives around June and is mostly gone after September (peak July); Red-headed Woodpecker arrives around May and is mostly gone after September (peak May); American Three-toed Woodpecker arrives around June and is mostly gone after September (peak July); Acorn Woodpecker arrives around January and is mostly gone after August (peak July).
Winter visitors. Red-bellied Woodpecker arrives around October and leaves after May (peak December); Yellow-bellied Sapsucker arrives around October and leaves after January (peak December).
Passage migrants. Ladder-backed Woodpecker is reported mainly in April, May and September; Golden-fronted Woodpecker is reported mainly in September.
Attracting woodpeckers to Colorado backyards
Suet is the food that brings woodpeckers to feeders, with peanuts and black-oil sunflower seed close behind. Leaving a dead tree or large dead limb standing, where it is safe to do so, is the single most effective habitat step.
In Colorado the woodpecker most likely to turn up is the Northern Flicker, a year-round resident, followed by the Downy Woodpecker. Its own page covers month-by-month activity and attraction tips for this state.
Woodpeckers in Colorado: FAQ
How many species of woodpeckers are there in Colorado?
13 species of woodpeckers have regular eBird records in Colorado (at least 25 records in 2020–2024): Northern Flicker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Red-naped Sapsucker, Lewis's Woodpecker, Williamson's Sapsucker, Red-headed Woodpecker, American Three-toed Woodpecker, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Acorn Woodpecker and Golden-fronted Woodpecker.
What is the most common woodpecker in Colorado?
The Northern Flicker, with 454,086 eBird records in 2020–2024, followed by the Downy Woodpecker with 177,042. It is a year-round resident, reported in every month.
When is the best time to see woodpeckers in Colorado?
February, December and October, when the combined share of Colorado eBird records belonging to woodpeckers is highest. Summer visitors such as the Red-naped Sapsucker arrive around June. Winter visitors such as the Red-bellied Woodpecker arrive around October.
More birds in Colorado
Woodpeckers in other states
Woodpeckers in Colorado: sources
Every number on this page comes from the EOD – eBird Observation Dataset published by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and distributed through GBIF under a CC BY 4.0 license: Colorado records from 2020–2024, retrieved 2026-09-18. Species are drawn from the families Picidae; only species with at least 25 records are listed, and a species is called a year-round resident when its monthly share of state records stays above 30% of its own peak in ten or more months. “Records” are individual eBird observations, so they reflect how often birders report a species, not a population count.