Scarlet-backed Woodpecker

Scarlet-backed Woodpecker

Veniliornis callonotus

Silhouette: Pepe Reigada · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Guayaquil

In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%

181 Verified sightings at Guayaquil
41 In 1 park From 2019 to 2026
December Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Scarlet-backed Woodpecker

The scarlet-backed woodpecker (Veniliornis callonotus) is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. The International Ornithological Committee and BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World place the scarlet-backed woodpecker in genus Veniliornis. However, starting in 2018, the American Ornithological Society and the Clements taxonomy moved all species of genus Veniliornis into genus Dryobates.

The scarlet-backed woodpecker is about 13 cm (5.1 in) long and weighs 23 to 33 g (0.81 to 1.2 oz). Males and females have the same plumage except on their heads. Adults of both sexes of the nominate subspecies have a generally grayish brown and white face. Males are red from forehead to nape with black tips on many feathers. The female is entirely black there. Both sexes' upperparts are brownish-scarlet. Their flight feathers are dark brown with redder secondaries and tertials. Their tail is blackish-brown whose central pair... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Song0:08

Ecuador · 2015

© Leonardo Ordóñez-Delgado · XC425960 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:12

Ecuador · 1996

© Patricio Mena Valenzuela · XC275327 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Alarm call0:16

Ecuador · 1991

© Paul Coopmans · XC264527 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Machalilla National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
~10%

More parks will be added in future updates.

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Guayaquil 🇪🇨 Ecuador
~20%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Scarlet-backed Woodpecker in Guayaquil?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Scarlet-backed Woodpecker sighting in Guayaquil on a given day, based on 181 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 40th most-seen of the 167 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Scarlet-backed Woodpecker in Guayaquil?

December

In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Scarlet-backed Woodpecker in Guayaquil on a given day, against about 10% in March and May, the lowest months. That is one of Guayaquil's driest months, with about 25 mm of rain against 220 mm in February.

What time of day is best to see a Scarlet-backed Woodpecker?

Between 9 am and noon

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Scarlet-backed Woodpecker sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Where else can you see a Scarlet-backed Woodpecker?

Only Guayaquil, in our data

Guayaquil is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Scarlet-backed Woodpecker sightings: about 20% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.

Which relatives of the Scarlet-backed Woodpecker live in Guayaquil?

Same family: Picidae

The closest relatives of the Scarlet-backed Woodpecker that you can see in Guayaquil (family Picidae, Woodpeckers) are Black-cheeked Woodpecker (about 30%) and Golden-olive Woodpecker (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Scarlet-backed Woodpecker sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Scarlet-backed Woodpecker is recorded against all the birds logged in Guayaquil (181 verified sightings), 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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