Crimson-crested Woodpecker

Crimson-crested Woodpecker

Campephilus melanoleucos

Silhouette: Arthur A. Allen (modified) · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Manaus

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%

19 Verified sightings at Manaus
7,780 In all 22 parks From 2019 to 2026
July Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Crimson-crested Woodpecker

The crimson-crested woodpecker (Campephilus melanoleucos) is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Panama, Trinidad, and in every mainland South American country except Chile and Uruguay.

The crimson-crested woodpecker was formally described in 1788 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it with the other woodpeckers in the genus Picus and coined the binomial name Picus melanoleucos. The specific epithet melanoleucos combines the Ancient Greek melas meaning "black" with leukos meaning "white". Gmelin based his description on the "buff-crested woodpecker" from Surinam that had been described and illustrated in 1782 by the English ornithologist John Latham from a specimen in the Leverian Museum in London.

The crimson-crested woodpecker was for a time placed in genus Scapaneus but this was merged into the genus Phloeoceastes by James Peters in 1948. The genus Phloeoceastes was itself merged into the current genus Campephilus by Lester Short in 1982. The crimson-crested woodpecker has three subspecies: Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:28

Ecuador · 2025

© Manuel Sánchez-Nivicela · XC1166302 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Drumming0:08

Ecuador · 2025

© Marc Anderson · XC1094748 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Song0:25

Brazil · 2023

© JAYRSON ARAUJO DE OLIVEIRA · XC838518 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Yasuní National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
~40%
2 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~30%
3 Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve 🇪🇨 Ecuador
~30%
4 Darién National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~30%
5 Tayrona National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~20%
6 Amacayacu National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~20%
7 Manu National Park 🇵🇪 Peru
~20%
8 Sierra de la Macarena National Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~20%
9 Tambopata National Reserve 🇵🇪 Peru
~20%
10 Parque Natural Metropolitano 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
11 San Lorenzo Protected Forest 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
12 Chagres National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
13 Anavilhanas National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
14 Utría National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~10%
15 Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
16 Chapada Diamantina National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
17 Henri Pittier National Park 🇻🇪 Venezuela
<5%
18 Amboró National Park 🇧🇴 Bolivia
<5%
19 Serra da Canastra National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
20 Podocarpus National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%
21 Los Nevados National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
22 Farallones de Cali National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Santa Cruz de la Sierra 🇧🇴 Bolivia
<5%
2 Manaus 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
3 Valencia 🇻🇪 Venezuela
<5%
4 Cali 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
5 Campo Grande 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
6 Panama City 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Parque Municipal Summit 🇵🇦 Panama In captivity
2 Aviario Nacional de Colombia 🇨🇴 Colombia In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Crimson-crested Woodpecker in Manaus?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Crimson-crested Woodpecker sighting in Manaus on a given day, based on 19 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 68th most-seen of the 116 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Crimson-crested Woodpecker in Manaus?

January and July

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Crimson-crested Woodpecker in Manaus on a given day, against under 5% in February–June and August–December, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Crimson-crested Woodpecker?

Between 7 and 10 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Crimson-crested 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.

Is Manaus the best place to see a Crimson-crested Woodpecker?

Among the best

Of the 6 cities where we can rate Crimson-crested Woodpecker sightings, Manaus ranks 2nd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Bolivia, under 5%).

Where does the Crimson-crested Woodpecker sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Crimson-crested Woodpecker is recorded against all the birds logged in Manaus (19 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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