Piculus simplex
Silhouette: Pepe Reigada · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The rufous-winged woodpecker (Piculus simplex) is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama. The rufous-winged woodpecker was originally described as Chloronerpes simplex. Since its inclusion in Piculus it has at times been considered conspecific with the stripe-cheeked woodpecker (P. callopterus), the white-throated woodpecker (P. leucolaemus), and the Lita woodpecker (P. litae); the four may form a superspecies. The rufous-winged woodpecker is monotypic but at times part of the Honduran population has been proposed as a subspecies.
The rufous-winged woodpecker is about 18 cm (7.1 in) long and weighs 51 to 55 g (1.8 to 1.9 oz). Males and females have the same plumage except on their heads. Males are red from forehead to hindneck and very widely on the malar (cheek); the rest of its face is brownish green. The female's head is mostly brownish olive with red only on the nape and hindneck. Adults of both sexes have bronze-green upperparts. Their flight feathers are mostly cinnamon-rufous with much dark olive on the webs. Their tail is blackish with... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Piedras Blancas National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 3 | Arenal Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Tenorio Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 5 | Carara National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 6 | Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 7 | Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 8 | Marino Ballena National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 9 | Corcovado National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 10 | Cahuita National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 11 | Tortuguero National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 12 | Poás Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 13 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous-winged Woodpecker sighting in Arenal Volcano National Park on a given day, based on 1,495 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 143rd most-seen of the 503 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous-winged Woodpecker in Arenal Volcano National Park on a given day, against about 10% in October to August, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Rufous-winged Woodpecker sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 13
Of the 13 parks where we can rate Rufous-winged Woodpecker sightings, Arenal Volcano National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Braulio Carrillo National Park (Costa Rica, about 20%) and Piedras Blancas National Park (Costa Rica, about 10%).
Same family: Picidae
The closest relatives of the Rufous-winged Woodpecker that you can see in Arenal Volcano National Park (family Picidae, Woodpeckers) are Black-cheeked Woodpecker (about 50%), Golden-olive Woodpecker (about 10%) and Hoffmann's Woodpecker (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Rufous-winged Woodpecker is recorded against all the birds logged in Arenal Volcano National Park (1,495 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
