Red-rumped Woodpecker

Red-rumped Woodpecker

Veniliornis kirkii

Silhouette: Pepe Reigada · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Corcovado National Park

In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%

27 Verified sightings at Corcovado National Park From 2019 to 2026
391 In all 9 parks
May Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Red-rumped Woodpecker

The red-rumped woodpecker (Veniliornis kirkii) is a species of bird in the subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found from Costa Rica south to Peru and east to Brazil, Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago.

The International Ornithological Committee and BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World place the red-rumped woodpecker in the genus Veniliornis. However, starting in 2018, the American Ornithological Society and the Clements taxonomy moved all species of the genus Veniliornis into genus Dryobates.

The taxonomic systems agree that the red-rumped woodpecker has these five subspecies: V. (or D.) k. neglectus Bangs, 1901 V. (or D.) k. cecilii (Malherbe, 1849) V. (or D.) k. continentalis Hellmayr, 1906 V. (or D.) k. monticola Hellmayr, 1918

V. (or D.) k. kirkii (Malherbe, 1845) The red-rumped woodpecker is about 15 to 16 cm (5.9 to 6.3 in) long and weighs 30 to 42 g (1.1 to 1.5 oz). Males and females have the same plumage except on their heads. Males of the nominate subspecies kirkii have a red crown and nape with some dusky brown or dark gray feather tips. The female has a dark brown crown with a tinge... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Song0:10

Colombia · 2020

© Jerome Fischer · XC552720 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:32

Ecuador · 1997

© Patricio Mena Valenzuela · XC275326 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Drum0:10

Ecuador · 2001

© Olaf Jahn · XC261886 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Main Ridge Forest Reserve 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago
~10%
2 Caroni Swamp 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago
~10%
3 Coiba National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
4 Darién National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
5 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
6 Henri Pittier National Park 🇻🇪 Venezuela
<5%
7 Machalilla National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%
8 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
9 Marino Ballena National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Valencia 🇻🇪 Venezuela
<5%
2 Caracas 🇻🇪 Venezuela
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Red-rumped Woodpecker in Corcovado National Park?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Red-rumped Woodpecker sighting in Corcovado National Park on a given day, based on 27 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 258th most-seen of the 332 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Red-rumped Woodpecker in Corcovado National Park?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Red-rumped Woodpecker in Corcovado National Park on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Red-rumped Woodpecker?

Between 7 and 10 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Red-rumped Woodpecker sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Corcovado National Park the best place to see a Red-rumped Woodpecker?

8th of 9

Of the 9 parks where we can rate Red-rumped Woodpecker sightings, Corcovado National Park ranks 8th at under 5%. The best odds are in Main Ridge Forest Reserve (Trinidad and Tobago, about 10%), Caroni Swamp (Trinidad and Tobago, about 10%) and Coiba National Park (Panama, about 10%).

Which relatives of the Red-rumped Woodpecker live in Corcovado National Park?

Same family: Picidae

The closest relatives of the Red-rumped Woodpecker that you can see in Corcovado National Park (family Picidae, Woodpeckers) are Golden-naped Woodpecker (about 30%), Pale-billed Woodpecker (about 30%) and Red-crowned Woodpecker (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Red-rumped Woodpecker sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Red-rumped Woodpecker is recorded against all the birds logged in Corcovado National Park (27 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.

← Back to Corcovado National Park