Dendropicos griseocephalus
Silhouette: Pepe Reigada · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
The olive woodpecker (Dendropicos griseocephalus) is a species of bird in the woodpecker family Picidae. It is in the Dendropicos genus, which comprises small woodpeckers native to Sub-Saharan Africa. The olive woodpecker can be characterized by its bright red rump, and bronze coloured upper body. The red-bellied subspecies is known to be slightly brighter in colour, with a more prominent belly patch. The montane subspecies is the smallest of the three recognized subspecies.
These birds occupy a range of densely wooded and forested habitats from 450–3,700 m (1,480–12,140 ft). This species is insectivorous, often seen foraging for ants and beetles in mossy trees. The olive woodpecker produces a wide range of vocalizations from alarm calls, to specific take-off and flight sounds. This species also makes use of breeding calls to attract mates. Breeding season is variable, and depends on the area each population inhabits. It can last anywhere from 1 to 8 months. Clutch size is small —2 to 3 eggs per clutch—and chick rearing responsibilities are shared between both parents. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Kafue National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 3 | Virunga National Park | 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo | |
| 4 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Nyungwe National Park | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | |
| 6 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 7 | Golden Gate Highlands National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 8 | Volcanoes National Park | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | |
| 9 | Arusha National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 10 | Bwindi Impenetrable National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 11 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Olive Woodpecker sighting in Nyungwe National Park on a given day, based on 76 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 130th most-seen of the 252 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July–August and October–January
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Olive Woodpecker in Nyungwe National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February–June and September, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Olive 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.
5th of 11
Of the 11 parks where we can rate Olive Woodpecker sightings, Nyungwe National Park ranks 5th at about 10%. The best odds are in Garden Route National Park (South Africa, about 20%), Kafue National Park (Zambia, about 10%) and Virunga National Park (Democratic Republic of the Congo, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Olive Woodpecker is recorded against all the birds logged in Nyungwe National Park (76 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.
