West · Pacific Flyway
Woodpeckers in Oregon
Woodpeckers in Oregon come down to 13 species with regular eBird records, led by the Northern Flicker. Together they account for 782,308 of the 17 million eBird records from 2020–2024 — 4.7% of everything reported in the state.
The full list: Northern Flicker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Acorn Woodpecker, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Pileated Woodpecker, Lewis's Woodpecker, White-headed Woodpecker, Williamson's Sapsucker, Black-backed Woodpecker, Red-naped Sapsucker, American Three-toed Woodpecker and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. 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 Oregon: 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) — 380,005 records, 2.3% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
2. Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens) — 144,855 records, 0.9% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
3. Hairy Woodpecker (Leuconotopicus villosus) — 76,856 records, 0.5% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
4. Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus) — 60,442 records, 0.4% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
5. Red-breasted Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus ruber) — 59,550 records, 0.4% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
6. Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) — 31,738 records, 0.2% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
7. Lewis's Woodpecker (Melanerpes lewis) — 11,068 records, 0.07% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from May to September and peaking in September.
8. White-headed Woodpecker (Leuconotopicus albolarvatus) — 6,364 records, 0.04% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from February to October and peaking in June.
9. Williamson's Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus thyroideus) — 4,918 records, 0.03% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from March to September and peaking in June.
10. Black-backed Woodpecker (Picoides arcticus) — 3,115 records, 0.02% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from May to October and peaking in June.
11. Red-naped Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus nuchalis) — 2,445 records, 0.01% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from April to September and peaking in June.
12. American Three-toed Woodpecker (Picoides dorsalis) — 654 records, 0.00% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from June to October and peaking in July.
The remaining 1 species — Yellow-bellied Sapsucker — are recorded regularly but in smaller numbers; see the cards above for their status.
When to see woodpeckers in Oregon
Adding up every species’ share of state eBird records month by month, woodpeckers are most prominent in October, December and March and least in May and July. 6 of the 13 species are year-round — Northern Flicker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Acorn Woodpecker, Red-breasted Sapsucker and Pileated Woodpecker — so there is no month without them.
Summer visitors. Lewis's Woodpecker arrives around May and is mostly gone after September (peak September); White-headed Woodpecker arrives around February and is mostly gone after October (peak June); Williamson's Sapsucker arrives around March and is mostly gone after September (peak June); Black-backed Woodpecker arrives around May and is mostly gone after October (peak June); Red-naped Sapsucker arrives around April and is mostly gone after September (peak June); American Three-toed Woodpecker arrives around June and is mostly gone after October (peak July).
Winter visitors. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker arrives around December and leaves after February (peak January).
Attracting woodpeckers to Oregon 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 Oregon 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 Oregon: FAQ
How many species of woodpeckers are there in Oregon?
13 species of woodpeckers have regular eBird records in Oregon (at least 25 records in 2020–2024): Northern Flicker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Acorn Woodpecker, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Pileated Woodpecker, Lewis's Woodpecker, White-headed Woodpecker, Williamson's Sapsucker, Black-backed Woodpecker, Red-naped Sapsucker, American Three-toed Woodpecker and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.
What is the most common woodpecker in Oregon?
The Northern Flicker, with 380,005 eBird records in 2020–2024, followed by the Downy Woodpecker with 144,855. It is a year-round resident, reported in every month.
When is the best time to see woodpeckers in Oregon?
October, December and March, when the combined share of Oregon eBird records belonging to woodpeckers is highest. Summer visitors such as the Lewis's Woodpecker arrive around May. Winter visitors such as the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker arrive around December.
More birds in Oregon
Woodpeckers in other states
Woodpeckers in Oregon: 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: Oregon 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.