Melanerpes santacruzi
Silhouette: Jason Dilworth · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The golden-fronted woodpecker (Melanerpes aurifrons) is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in the southern United States (mostly Texas), Mexico and parts of Central America.
The golden-fronted woodpecker was formally described in 1829 by the German naturalist Johann Georg Wagler under the binomial name Picus aurifrons. The specific epithet combines the Latin aurum, auri meaning "gold" with frons, frontis meaning "forehead", "brow" or "front". The type locality is the state of Hidalgo in south central Mexico. The golden-fronted woodpecker is now one of the 23 species placed in the genus Melanerpes that was introduced by the English ornithologist William Swainson in 1832.
Twelve subspecies are recognised, many of which are restricted to islands. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 2 | Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Velasquez's Woodpecker sighting in Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 78th most-seen of the 216 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Velasquez's Woodpecker in Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in May to December, the lowest months. That is one of Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve's driest months, with about 20 mm of rain against 150 mm in June.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Velasquez's 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.
Among the best
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Velasquez's Woodpecker sightings, Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve (Mexico, about 10%).
Same genus: Melanerpes
The closest relatives of the Velasquez's Woodpecker that you can see in Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve (genus Melanerpes, Melanerpes Woodpeckers) are Golden-fronted Woodpecker (about 20%) and Yucatán Woodpecker (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Velasquez's Woodpecker is recorded against all the birds logged in Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve (5 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.
