Pale-billed Woodpecker

Pale-billed Woodpecker

Campephilus guatemalensis

Silhouette: Arthur A. Allen (modified) · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at San José

In 3 days <5%

13 Verified sightings at San José
11,424 In all 34 parks From 2019 to 2026
January Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Pale-billed Woodpecker

The pale-billed woodpecker (Campephilus guatemalensis) is a species of woodpecker of the genus Campephilus. It is found from Mexico to Panama. The pale-billed woodpecker is 35.5 to 38 cm (14 to 15 in) long. Both sexes of the nominate subspecies have black upperparts from nape to rump. They have vertical white or buffy white stripes on the sides of their neck that continue onto their back and nearly or fully form a "V". Their tail is dull brown with dull olive-brown on the underside of the outer feathers. Their wings are black except for the outer primaries, whose upper surface has dull brown outer webs above and are greenish olive-yellow below. Their throat and upper breast are black and the rest of their underparts light yellowish buff with narrow black bars. Their bill is a long ivory yellow chisel, their iris light cream-buff, and their legs... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:06

Mexico · 2013

© Olivier SWIFT · XC623362 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Drumming0:08

Costa Rica · 2018

© Alain Malengreau · XC537219 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Flight call0:32

Costa Rica · 2019

© Hans Matheve · XC518465 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Tikal National Park 🇬🇹 Guatemala
~50%
2 Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary 🇧🇿 Belize
~40%
3 Calakmul Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~40%
4 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~30%
5 Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~20%
6 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
7 Rincón de la Vieja National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
8 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
9 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
10 Santa Rosa National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
11 Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
12 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
13 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
14 Pico Bonito National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~10%
15 Biotopo Cerro Cahuí 🇬🇹 Guatemala
~10%
16 Cahuita National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
17 La Tigra National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~10%
18 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
19 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
20 El Triunfo 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
21 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
22 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
23 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
24 Ostional Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
25 Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
26 Cusuco National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
27 Celaque National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
28 Las Baulas Marine National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
29 Palo Verde National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
30 Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
31 Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
32 Marino Ballena National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
33 Chirripó National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
34 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 San José 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Pale-billed Woodpecker in San José?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Pale-billed Woodpecker sighting in San José on a given day, based on 13 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 309th most-seen of the 379 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Pale-billed Woodpecker in San José?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Pale-billed Woodpecker in San José on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Pale-billed Woodpecker?

Between 7 and 10 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Pale-billed 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.

Where else can you see a Pale-billed Woodpecker?

Only San José, in our data

San José is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Pale-billed Woodpecker sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.

Which relatives of the Pale-billed Woodpecker live in San José?

Same family: Picidae

The closest relatives of the Pale-billed Woodpecker that you can see in San José (family Picidae, Woodpeckers) are Hoffmann's Woodpecker (about 70%) and Lineated Woodpecker (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Pale-billed Woodpecker sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Pale-billed Woodpecker is recorded against all the birds logged in San José (13 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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