Knysna Woodpecker

Knysna Woodpecker

Campethera notata

Silhouette: Pepe Reigada · PhyloPic

LCNTNear ThreatenedVUENCR Endemic
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at De Hoop Nature Reserve

In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%

97 Verified sightings at De Hoop Nature Reserve From 2019 to 2026
358 In all 3 parks
November Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Knysna Woodpecker

The Knysna woodpecker (Campethera notata) is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is endemic to South Africa, where its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, moist savanna, and subtropical or tropical moist shrubland. It is threatened by habitat loss. It belongs to a species complex that includes the golden-tailed and Mombasa woodpeckers.

This species is distinguished from the other South African woodpeckers by its thickly spotted under-surface which is covered with black spots from the chin to the vent. Males and females differ slightly. Males have an olive-green color above with indistinct, small transverse bars and a few diamond-shaped sub-terminal spots that are a paler olive-yellow. The female Knysna woodpecker is similar to the male, but the black head is spotted with white and only the occiput is scarlet.

The quills are brown, except for near the base where they are externally olive. The secondary quills are olive-brown, duller than the back, and transversely barred with a yellow-tinged white. The primaries are externally spotted with yellow, notched on the inner web with white, and the shafts are brown. The tail is olive... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Begging call0:54

South Africa · 2025

© Niall Perrins · XC1064907 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:50

South Africa · 2019

© Frank Lambert · XC519821 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Call0:43

South Africa · 2016

© Lynette Rudman · XC305433 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 De Hoop Nature Reserve 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
2 Garden Route National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
3 Addo Elephant National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Knysna Woodpecker in De Hoop Nature Reserve?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Knysna Woodpecker sighting in De Hoop Nature Reserve on a given day, based on 97 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 83rd most-seen of the 189 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Knysna Woodpecker in De Hoop Nature Reserve?

November

In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Knysna Woodpecker in De Hoop Nature Reserve on a given day, against about 10% in February–March, May, July and September, the lowest months. June has too few records to rate.

What time of day is best to see a Knysna Woodpecker?

Between 10 am and 1 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Knysna 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 De Hoop Nature Reserve the best place to see a Knysna Woodpecker?

Yes

Of the 3 parks where we can rate Knysna Woodpecker sightings, De Hoop Nature Reserve has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Garden Route National Park (South Africa, about 10%) and Addo Elephant National Park (South Africa, about 10%).

Where does the Knysna Woodpecker sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Knysna Woodpecker is recorded against all the birds logged in De Hoop Nature Reserve (97 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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