Crimson-bellied Woodpecker

Crimson-bellied Woodpecker

Campephilus haematogaster

Silhouette: Arthur A. Allen (modified) · PhyloPic

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

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%

25 Verified sightings at Darién National Park From 2019 to 2026
57 In all 4 parks
August Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Crimson-bellied Woodpecker

The crimson-bellied woodpecker (Campephilus haematogaster) is a species of bird in the subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. The crimson-bellied woodpecker was at one time placed in its own genus Cniparchus that was later merged into genus Phloeoceastes which was itself later merged into the current Campephilus.

From about the year 2000 authors have suggested that splendens was better treated as a separate species. By at least 2018 BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World (HBW) had recognized the split, and in July 2023 the International Ornithological Committee (IOC) followed suit.

The South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society (SACC) and the Clements taxonomy retain the two-subspecies, unsplit, treatment. A 2023 SACC proposal to accept the split was rejected. The crimson-bellied woodpecker as recognized by HBW and the IOC is monotypic. Wikipedia →

Sounds

Drumming0:14

Ecuador · 2025

© Manuel Sánchez-Nivicela · XC1074948 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Song0:28

Colombia · 2018

© Néstor León · XC432878 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Alarm call0:31

Colombia · 2017

© Paul van Els · XC425972 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Darién National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
2 Chagres National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
3 Podocarpus National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%
4 Farallones de Cali National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Crimson-bellied Woodpecker in Darién National Park?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Crimson-bellied Woodpecker sighting in Darién National Park on a given day, based on 25 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 218th most-seen of the 397 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Crimson-bellied Woodpecker in Darién National Park?

March, May and August–September

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Crimson-bellied Woodpecker in Darién National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April, June–July and October–February, the lowest months.

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

Between 7 and 10 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Crimson-bellied 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 Darién National Park the best place to see a Crimson-bellied Woodpecker?

Yes

Of the 4 parks where we can rate Crimson-bellied Woodpecker sightings, Darién National Park has the highest daily chance: under 5%. Next come Chagres National Park (Panama, under 5%) and Podocarpus National Park (Ecuador, under 5%).

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

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Crimson-bellied Woodpecker is recorded against all the birds logged in Darién National Park (25 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.

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