Colaptes chrysoides
Silhouette: FJDegrange · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The gilded flicker (Colaptes chrysoides) is a large woodpecker (mean length of 29 cm (11 in)) of the Sonoran, Yuma, and eastern Colorado Desert regions of the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, including all of the Baja California peninsula except the extreme northwestern region. Yellow underwings distinguish the gilded flicker from the northern flicker (Colaptes auratus) found within the same region, which has red underwings.
Four subspecies are recognized: The Cape gilded flicker (C. c. chrysoides) resides in southern Baja California. The brown gilded flicker (C. c. brunnescens) resides in northern and central Baja California. Mearns' gilded flicker (C. c. mearnsi) resides in extreme southeastern California to Arizona and northwestern Mexico.
The Mexican gilded flicker (C. c. tenebrosus) resides in northwestern Mexico from northern Sonora to northern Sinaloa. The gilded flicker most frequently builds its nest hole in a saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea), excavating a nest hole nearer to the top than to the ground. Less frequently, they will also nest in desert dry washes with Frémont's cottonwood (Populus fremontii) or willows (Salix sp.).... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cabo Pulmo National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 2 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Bahía de Loreto National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 4 | El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phoenix | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Mesa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Salt Lake City | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Gilded Flicker sighting in El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve on a given day, based on 46 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 143rd most-seen of the 237 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.
August, October and December–January
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Gilded Flicker in El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in February–July, September and November, the lowest months.
Between 6 and 9 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Gilded Flicker sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Gilded Flicker sightings, El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve ranks 4th at under 5%. The best odds are in Cabo Pulmo National Park (Mexico, about 30%), Saguaro National Park (United States, about 30%) and Bahía de Loreto National Park (Mexico, about 20%).
Same family: Picidae
The closest relatives of the Gilded Flicker that you can see in El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve (family Picidae, Woodpeckers) are Gila Woodpecker (about 20%) and Ladder-backed Woodpecker (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Gilded Flicker is recorded against all the birds logged in El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve (46 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.
