Piculus simplex
Silhouette: Pepe Reigada · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The rufous-winged woodpecker (Piculus simplex) is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama. The rufous-winged woodpecker was originally described as Chloronerpes simplex. Since its inclusion in Piculus it has at times been considered conspecific with the stripe-cheeked woodpecker (P. callopterus), the white-throated woodpecker (P. leucolaemus), and the Lita woodpecker (P. litae); the four may form a superspecies. The rufous-winged woodpecker is monotypic but at times part of the Honduran population has been proposed as a subspecies.
The rufous-winged woodpecker is about 18 cm (7.1 in) long and weighs 51 to 55 g (1.8 to 1.9 oz). Males and females have the same plumage except on their heads. Males are red from forehead to hindneck and very widely on the malar (cheek); the rest of its face is brownish green. The female's head is mostly brownish olive with red only on the nape and hindneck. Adults of both sexes have bronze-green upperparts. Their flight feathers are mostly cinnamon-rufous with much dark olive on the webs. Their tail is blackish with... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Piedras Blancas National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 3 | Arenal Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Tenorio Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 5 | Carara National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 6 | Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 7 | Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 8 | Marino Ballena National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 9 | Corcovado National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 10 | Cahuita National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 11 | Tortuguero National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 12 | Poás Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 13 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous-winged Woodpecker sighting in Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge on a given day, based on 37 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 234th most-seen of the 329 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.
June
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous-winged Woodpecker in Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge on a given day, against under 5% in August to May, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Rufous-winged 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.
6th of 13
Of the 13 parks where we can rate Rufous-winged Woodpecker sightings, Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge ranks 6th at under 5%. The best odds are in Braulio Carrillo National Park (Costa Rica, about 20%), Piedras Blancas National Park (Costa Rica, about 10%) and Arenal Volcano National Park (Costa Rica, about 10%).
Same family: Picidae
The closest relatives of the Rufous-winged Woodpecker that you can see in Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge (family Picidae, Woodpeckers) are Black-cheeked Woodpecker (about 60%), Pale-billed Woodpecker (about 20%) and Cinnamon Woodpecker (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Rufous-winged Woodpecker is recorded against all the birds logged in Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge (37 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.
