Campephilus pollens
Silhouette: Arthur A. Allen (modified) · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
The powerful woodpecker (Campephilus pollens) is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. The powerful woodpecker was for a time placed in genus Scapaneus, which was merged into genus Phloeoceastes, which in turn was merged into the current Campephilus.
The powerful woodpecker is about 32 cm (13 in) long. The sexes differ only on their heads: Adult males are red from their forehead to their crest; females are black there. Both sexes of the nominate subspecies have a black and white face including the throat; the white is a wide band from the lores to below the rear of the ear coverts and from there down the side of the neck. Both sexes have a black hindneck, mantle, scapulars, and upper back with narrow white stripes on either side. Their lower back and rump are white and their uppertail coverts black. Their wings' top surface is black with white tips on the primaries and some white spots or bars on the secondaries. Their wings' undersides are... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Podocarpus National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 2 | Los Nevados National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 3 | Chingaza National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 4 | Farallones de Cali National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Powerful Woodpecker sighting in Chingaza National Natural Park on a given day, based on 15 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 154th most-seen of the 258 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Powerful Woodpecker in Chingaza National Natural Park on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Powerful 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.
Among the best
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Powerful Woodpecker sightings, Chingaza National Natural Park ranks 3rd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Podocarpus National Park (Ecuador, under 5%) and Los Nevados National Natural Park (Colombia, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Powerful Woodpecker is recorded against all the birds logged in Chingaza National Natural Park (15 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.
