Cream-backed Woodpecker

Cream-backed Woodpecker

Campephilus leucopogon

Silhouette: Arthur A. Allen (modified) · PhyloPic

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

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%

20 Verified sightings at El Palmar National Park From 2019 to 2026
244 In all 3 parks
June 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 Palmar National Park?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Cream-backed Woodpecker sighting in El Palmar National Park on a given day, based on 20 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 126th most-seen of the 151 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.

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

May–July and October–November

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Cream-backed Woodpecker in El Palmar National Park on a given day, against under 5% in August–September and December–April, the lowest months.

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 Palmar National Park the best place to see a Cream-backed Woodpecker?

3rd of 3

Of the 3 parks where we can rate Cream-backed Woodpecker sightings, El Palmar National Park ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in El Impenetrable National Park (Argentina, about 40%) and Iberá National Park (Argentina, about 10%).

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

Same family: Picidae

The closest relatives of the Cream-backed Woodpecker that you can see in El Palmar National Park (family Picidae, Woodpeckers) are Green-barred Woodpecker (about 50%), Campo Flicker (about 30%) and White-barred Piculet (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 Palmar National Park (20 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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