White-bellied Woodpecker

White-bellied Woodpecker

Dryocopus javensis

Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Cat Tien National Park

In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%

102 Verified sightings at Cat Tien National Park From 2019 to 2026
2,067 In all 12 parks
March Best month
🌅 Crepuscular When it's spotted

About the White-bellied Woodpecker

The white-bellied woodpecker or great black woodpecker (Dryocopus javensis) is a woodpecker species inhabiting evergreen forests in tropical Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It is among the largest of the Asiatic woodpeckers and nests in large dead trees, often beside rivers. It has 14 subspecies, and many of its island forms are endangered, some are extinct. Populations differ in the distribution and extent of white. Its drums and calls are louder than those of the smaller woodpeckers.

This species is one of the largest living species of woodpecker. Adults range in size from 40 to 48 cm (16 to 19 in) and are behind only to the great slaty woodpecker and black woodpecker in size among Asian woodpecker species. The species is considered closely related to the more northern black woodpecker and the North American pileated woodpecker and is similar in size to these species. Body mass can vary from 197 to 350 g (6.9 to 12.3 oz). Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 20.5 to 25.2 cm (8.1 to 9.9 in), the tail is 14.3 to 18.9 cm (5.6 to 7.4 in), the bill is 4.6 to 6 cm (1.8 to 2.4 in) and the tarsus is 3.2 to 4.3 cm (1.3 to 1.7 in).

The subspecies hodgsonii... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Alarm call0:13

Thailand · 2025

© Jirawut · XC1184814 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:33

Malaysia · 2026

© Ding Li Yong · XC1169213 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Drumming1:15

India · 2019

© Mandar Bhagat · XC548110 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Sepilok 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~30%
2 Nagarhole National Park 🇮🇳 India
~20%
3 Way Kambas National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~10%
4 Periyar National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
5 Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~10%
6 Cat Tien National Park 🇻🇳 Vietnam
~10%
7 Taman Negara National Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
<5%
8 Bandipur National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
9 Gunung Leuser National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
<5%
10 Doi Inthanon National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
<5%
11 Danum Valley Conservation Area 🇲🇾 Malaysia
<5%
12 Mudumalai National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a White-bellied Woodpecker in Cat Tien National Park?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a White-bellied Woodpecker sighting in Cat Tien National Park on a given day, based on 102 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 143rd most-seen of the 244 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a White-bellied Woodpecker in Cat Tien National Park?

March

In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a White-bellied Woodpecker in Cat Tien National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June, August–September and November, the lowest months. That is one of Cat Tien National Park's driest months, with about 30 mm of rain against 490 mm in July.

What time of day is best to see a White-bellied Woodpecker?

Between 1 and 4 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most White-bellied Woodpecker sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.

Is Cat Tien National Park the best place to see a White-bellied Woodpecker?

6th of 12

Of the 12 parks where we can rate White-bellied Woodpecker sightings, Cat Tien National Park ranks 6th at about 10%. The best odds are in Sepilok (Malaysia, about 30%), Nagarhole National Park (India, about 20%) and Way Kambas National Park (Indonesia, about 10%).

Which relatives of the White-bellied Woodpecker live in Cat Tien National Park?

Same family: Picidae

The closest relatives of the White-bellied Woodpecker that you can see in Cat Tien National Park (family Picidae, Woodpeckers) are Common Flameback (about 40%), Laced Woodpecker (about 40%) and Lesser Yellownape (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the White-bellied Woodpecker sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the White-bellied Woodpecker is recorded against all the birds logged in Cat Tien National Park (102 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.

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