Leiopicus mahrattensis
Silhouette: Pepe Reigada · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The yellow-crowned woodpecker (Leiopicus mahrattensis) or Mahratta woodpecker is a species of small pied woodpecker found in the Indian subcontinent. It is the only species placed in the genus Leiopicus. The yellow-crowned woodpecker was originally described by the English ornithologist John Latham in 1801 under the binomial name Picus mahrattensis. It is now the only species placed in the genus Leiopicus that was introduced by the French ornithologist Charles Lucien Bonaparte in 1854. The specific epithet mahrattensis is from Marhatta, a historical region in the modern Indian state of Maharashtra. The genus name Leiopicus combines the Classical Greek leios meaning "smooth" or "beardless" and pikos meaning "woodpecker". The yellow-crowned woodpecker is closely related to the woodpeckers in the genus Dendrocoptes.
A medium-small (17.5 cm, 6.9 inches, 28-46 grams, 1–1.6 ounces), pale-headed, pied woodpecker. Upper-parts black, heavily spotted and barred white. Underparts dark, streaked dingy white with red belly patch. Irregular brown cheek and neck patches. Female has yellowish crown and nape. In male nape scarlet and fore-crown yellow. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Udawalawe National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 2 | Yala National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 3 | Bandhavgarh National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 4 | Mudumalai National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 5 | Keoladeo National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 6 | Satpura National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 7 | Gir National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 8 | Royal Bardia National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 9 | Ranthambore National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 10 | Nagarhole National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 11 | Bandipur National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 12 | Kanha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 13 | Sinharaja Forest Reserve | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 14 | Periyar National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 15 | Chitwan National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-crowned Woodpecker sighting in Prayagraj on a given day, based on 12 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 119th most-seen of the 139 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.
May and December–January
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-crowned Woodpecker in Prayagraj on a given day, against under 5% in February–April and June–November, the lowest months. Those are among Prayagraj's driest months, with about 15 mm of rain a month against 260 mm in July.
Between 3 and 6 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Yellow-crowned Woodpecker sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
4th of 13
Of the 13 cities where we can rate Yellow-crowned Woodpecker sightings, Prayagraj ranks 4th at under 5%. The best odds are in Jabalpur (India, about 20%), Pune (India, under 5%) and Jaipur (India, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Yellow-crowned Woodpecker is recorded against all the birds logged in Prayagraj (12 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.
