Celeus castaneus
Silhouette: Pepe Reigada · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The chestnut-colored woodpecker (Celeus castaneus) is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama. The chestnut-colored woodpecker is monotypic.
The chestnut-colored woodpecker is 21.5 to 25 cm (8.5 to 9.8 in) long and weighs 80 to 105 g (2.8 to 3.7 oz). Both sexes' heads are dull ochraceous or tawny with a pointed crest. Males are bright red from the lores to behind the eye and down to the throat; the chin and upper throat sometimes also have some red. Females have no red. Both sexes of adults have rufous-chestnut upperparts with a cinnamon-buff rump and black bars on the back and uppertail coverts. Their flight feathers are rufous-chestnut with some dusky brown tips. Their tail feathers are dull black with chestnut bases. Their underparts are chestnut heavily marked with black "V" or "U" shapes. Individuals have some variation in the intensity of the black markings, especially the bars on their upperparts. The adult's bill is ivory-yellow with a blue-green tinge at its base, their iris chestnut or garnet brown, and their... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tikal National Park | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 2 | Pico Bonito National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 3 | Tortuguero National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 5 | Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇧🇿 Belize | |
| 6 | Calakmul Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 7 | Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 8 | Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 9 | Biotopo Cerro Cahuí | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 10 | Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 11 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 12 | Bastimentos Island National Marine Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 13 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Chestnut-colored Woodpecker sighting in Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary on a given day, based on 112 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 129th most-seen of the 277 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Chestnut-colored Woodpecker in Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary on a given day, against under 5% in June, the lowest month. That is one of Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary's wettest months, with about 270 mm of rain against 75 mm in April.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Chestnut-colored 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.
5th of 13
Of the 13 parks where we can rate Chestnut-colored Woodpecker sightings, Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary ranks 5th at about 10%. The best odds are in Tikal National Park (Guatemala, about 30%), Pico Bonito National Park (Honduras, about 30%) and Tortuguero National Park (Costa Rica, about 10%).
Same family: Picidae
The closest relatives of the Chestnut-colored Woodpecker that you can see in Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary (family Picidae, Woodpeckers) are Pale-billed Woodpecker (about 40%), Golden-fronted Woodpecker (about 20%) and Smoky-brown Woodpecker (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Chestnut-colored Woodpecker is recorded against all the birds logged in Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary (112 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.
