Melanerpes pygmaeus
Silhouette: Jason Dilworth · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
The Yucatan woodpecker (Melanerpes pygmaeus) is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is sometimes referred to as the red-vented woodpecker. The Yucatan woodpecker is found in Belize and Mexico, and ranges over the entire Yucatán Peninsula. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, and heavily degraded former forest.
The adult Yucatan woodpecker is 17 cm (6.7 in) in length. Adults are mainly light gray on the face and underparts; they have black and white barred patterns on their back, wings and tail. Adult males have a red cap going from the eye to the nape, whereas the red cap is only in the occipital area in the females. There are yellow feathers around the base of the bill. There may be a yellowish tinge to the belly and a red wash to the vent area.
The plumage of the Yucatan woodpecker is very similar in appearance to that of the golden-fronted woodpecker (Melanerpes aurifrons), which is also found throughout the entire Yucatán Peninsula. It can be very difficult to distinguish between these two species in the field. The golden-fronted woodpecker — which is much more common than the Yucatan woodpecker... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 2 | Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 3 | Celestún Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 4 | Calakmul Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 5 | Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 6 | Tikal National Park | 🇬🇹 Guatemala |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Yucatán Woodpecker sighting in Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve on a given day, based on 59 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 103rd most-seen of the 216 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
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Yucatán Woodpecker in Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in January, March and September–November, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Yucatán 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 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Yucatán Woodpecker sightings, Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve ranks 5th at about 10%. The best odds are in Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park (Mexico, about 60%), Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve (Mexico, about 30%) and Celestún Biosphere Reserve (Mexico, about 20%).
Same genus: Melanerpes
The closest relatives of the Yucatán Woodpecker that you can see in Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve (genus Melanerpes, Melanerpes Woodpeckers) are Golden-fronted Woodpecker (about 20%) and Velasquez's Woodpecker (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Yucatán Woodpecker is recorded against all the birds logged in Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve (59 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.
