Veniliornis spilogaster
Silhouette: Pepe Reigada · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The white-spotted woodpecker (Veniliornis spilogaster) is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. The International Ornithological Committee and BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World place the white-spotted woodpecker in genus Veniliornis. However, starting in 2018, the American Ornithological Society and the Clements taxonomy moved all species of genus Veniliornis into genus Dryobates.
The taxonomic systems agree that the white-spotted woodpecker is monotypic. The white-spotted woodpecker is 16 to 19.5 cm (6.3 to 7.7 in) long and weighs 35 to 45 g (1.2 to 1.6 oz). Males and females have the same plumage except on their heads. Males have a buffy to olive forehead, a blackish brown crown with very narrow red streaks, and an olive-green hindneck. The female has an olive-brown crown with fine white spots. Adults of both sexes have a mostly brownish face with a thin white supercilium, a thin white "moustache", and white speckles throughout. Their upperparts are mostly olive-green with yellowish to white feather edges that view as... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Itatiaia National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | Iguazú National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 3 | Iguaçu National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 4 | El Palmar National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Curitiba | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | Montevideo | 🇺🇾 Uruguay | |
| 3 | São Paulo | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 4 | Porto Alegre | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 5 | Campinas | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 6 | Santos | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a White-spotted Woodpecker sighting in Iguaçu National Park on a given day, based on 388 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 111th most-seen of the 346 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.
June
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a White-spotted Woodpecker in Iguaçu National Park on a given day, against about 10% in July to May, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most White-spotted Woodpecker sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate White-spotted Woodpecker sightings, Iguaçu National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Itatiaia National Park (Brazil, about 30%) and Iguazú National Park (Argentina, about 10%).
Same family: Picidae
The closest relatives of the White-spotted Woodpecker that you can see in Iguaçu National Park (family Picidae, Woodpeckers) are Ochre-collared Piculet (about 40%), Yellow-fronted Woodpecker (about 20%) and Campo Flicker (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the White-spotted Woodpecker is recorded against all the birds logged in Iguaçu National Park (388 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.
