Checker-throated Woodpecker

Checker-throated Woodpecker

Chrysophlegma mentale

Silhouette: Pepe Reigada · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Khao Sok National Park

In 3 days ~10%

12 Verified sightings at Khao Sok National Park From 2019 to 2026
720 In all 5 parks
March Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Checker-throated Woodpecker

The checker-throated woodpecker, checker-throated yellownape, or Javan yellownape (Chrysophlegma mentale) is a species of bird in the family Picidae native to Southeast Asia. The checker-throated woodpecker has a wide range in Southeast Asia and is known to occur in Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, and Indonesia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland or montane forests, and the landward edge of mangrove forests.

The species has been recorded as breeding in March and April in Malaysia, and between February and June in Borneo, using nests is excavated in deadwood. It feeds on insects supplemented by berries, foraging by gleaning and probing in the lower and middle canopy storeys.

The checker-throated woodpecker is greatly threatened by deforestation caused by illegal logging for primary forest wood and the expansion of palm oil plantations and other agricultural developments, and appears to be declining. It is currently classified as Near threatened by the IUCN. Wikipedia →

Sounds

Song0:05

Malaysia · 2025

© Ding Li Yong · XC973419 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Call0:15

Malaysia · 2024

© Lim Ying Hien · XC863743 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Song0:04

Thailand · 2022

© Somkiat Pakapinyo (Chai) · XC753267 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Way Kambas National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~30%
2 Kinabalu Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~20%
3 Taman Negara National Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~20%
4 Khao Sok National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
<5%
5 Sepilok 🇲🇾 Malaysia
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Kuala Lumpur 🇲🇾 Malaysia
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Checker-throated Woodpecker in Khao Sok National Park?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Checker-throated Woodpecker sighting in Khao Sok National Park on a given day, based on 12 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 173rd most-seen of the 213 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Checker-throated Woodpecker in Khao Sok National Park?

March

In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Checker-throated Woodpecker in Khao Sok National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April to February, the lowest months. That is one of Khao Sok National Park's driest months, with about 55 mm of rain against 280 mm in October.

What time of day is best to see a Checker-throated Woodpecker?

Between 9 am and noon

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Checker-throated 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 Khao Sok National Park the best place to see a Checker-throated Woodpecker?

4th of 5

Of the 5 parks where we can rate Checker-throated Woodpecker sightings, Khao Sok National Park ranks 4th at under 5%. The best odds are in Way Kambas National Park (Indonesia, about 30%), Kinabalu Park (Malaysia, about 20%) and Taman Negara National Park (Malaysia, about 20%).

Where does the Checker-throated Woodpecker sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Checker-throated Woodpecker is recorded against all the birds logged in Khao Sok National Park (12 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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