Cream-backed Woodpecker

Cream-backed Woodpecker

Campephilus leucopogon

Silhouette: Arthur A. Allen (modified) · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
at El Impenetrable National Park

In 3 days ~70% in a week >90%

113 Verified sightings at El Impenetrable National Park From 2019 to 2026
244 In all 3 parks
July Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Cream-backed Woodpecker

The cream-backed woodpecker (Campephilus leucopogon) is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. The cream-backed woodpecker was for a time placed in genus Scapaneus that was later merged into genus Phloeoceastes that was itself merged into the current genus Campephilus. The cream-backed woodpecker is monotypic.

The cream-backed woodpecker is 28 to 30 cm (11 to 12 in) long and weighs 203 to 281 g (7.2 to 9.9 oz). Adult males have a crest; their head, crest, and neck are entirely red but for a small black and white spot on the ear coverts. Adult females have a longer crest than males and do not have the covert spot. They have a creamy band from the bill to the ear coverts with black above it that surrounds the eye and extends along the front of the crest, and also a thinner black line below the creamy band. The rest of their head is red and their neck is black. Adults of both sexes are mostly black below the neck. They have a whitish upper back with pale cinnamon-buff feather tips and sometimes a few buff and black barred feathers in the center... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Alarm call0:25

Uruguay · 2026

© Luciano Buck · XC1145909 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:24

Uruguay · 2015

© Pedro Rinaldi · XC991006 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Drumming0:29

Argentina · 2014

© Fabricio Gorleri · XC176366 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 El Impenetrable National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~40%
2 Iberá National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~10%
3 El Palmar National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Cream-backed Woodpecker in El Impenetrable National Park?

Likely

About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Cream-backed Woodpecker sighting in El Impenetrable National Park on a given day, based on 113 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 45th most-seen of the 219 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Cream-backed Woodpecker in El Impenetrable National Park?

June–August and October–November

In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Cream-backed Woodpecker in El Impenetrable National Park on a given day, against about 20% in January and February, the lowest months. December has too few records to rate.

What time of day is best to see a Cream-backed Woodpecker?

Between 4 and 7 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Cream-backed Woodpecker sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is El Impenetrable National Park the best place to see a Cream-backed Woodpecker?

Yes

Of the 3 parks where we can rate Cream-backed Woodpecker sightings, El Impenetrable National Park has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Iberá National Park (Argentina, about 10%) and El Palmar National Park (Argentina, under 5%).

Which relatives of the Cream-backed Woodpecker live in El Impenetrable National Park?

Same family: Picidae

The closest relatives of the Cream-backed Woodpecker that you can see in El Impenetrable National Park (family Picidae, Woodpeckers) are White-fronted Woodpecker (about 40%), Checkered Woodpecker (about 40%) and Green-barred Woodpecker (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Cream-backed Woodpecker sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Cream-backed Woodpecker is recorded against all the birds logged in El Impenetrable National Park (113 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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