Great Slaty Woodpecker

Great Slaty Woodpecker

Mulleripicus pulverulentus

Silhouette: Pepe Reigada · PhyloPic

LCNTVUVulnerableENCR
Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
at Royal Bardia National Park

In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%

83 Verified sightings at Royal Bardia National Park From 2019 to 2026
1,342 In all 12 parks
September Best month
🌅 Crepuscular When it's spotted

About the Great Slaty Woodpecker

The great slaty woodpecker (Mulleripicus pulverulentus) is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is found across the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. A unique and basically unmistakable bird, it is the largest confirmed living woodpecker species, behind the likely extinct imperial woodpecker and ivory-billed woodpecker.

It is found in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, ranging across Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. It is found in the Greater Sundas, but it does not inhabit Bali.

This species prefers to inhabit areas of primary semi-open, moist deciduous and tropical evergreen forest though can on occasion range into adjacent secondary forests, clearings with scattered tall trees and similar almost park-like areas but do not generally visit heavily disturbed areas. Locally, the great slaty woodpecker prefers sprawling stands of dipterocarp and teak trees. Also found in mature sal forests, swamp forest and mangroves with tall, mature trees. The species usually occurs below an elevation of 600 m (2,000 ft), but also locally in montane... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Duet1:03

Malaysia · 2025

© Ding Li Yong · XC1010074 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Call1:19

China · 2024

© Dave GUO · XC973638 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song0:48

Thailand · 2024

© Greg Irving · XC953620 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Royal Bardia National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
~30%
2 Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~10%
3 Taman Negara National Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~10%
4 Kaeng Krachan National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~10%
5 Jim Corbett National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
6 Danum Valley Conservation Area 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~10%
7 Cat Tien National Park 🇻🇳 Vietnam
~10%
8 Sepilok 🇲🇾 Malaysia
<5%
9 Namdapha National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
10 Khao Yai National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
<5%
11 Chitwan National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
<5%
12 Doi Inthanon National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Singapore 🇸🇬 Singapore
<5%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Sunshine Aquarium 🇯🇵 Japan In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Great Slaty Woodpecker in Royal Bardia National Park?

Possible

About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Great Slaty Woodpecker sighting in Royal Bardia National Park on a given day, based on 83 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 59th most-seen of the 233 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Great Slaty Woodpecker in Royal Bardia National Park?

March and September

In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Great Slaty Woodpecker in Royal Bardia National Park on a given day, against about 10% in February, the lowest month. August has too few records to rate.

What time of day is best to see a Great Slaty Woodpecker?

Between 2 and 5 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Great Slaty Woodpecker sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.

Is Royal Bardia National Park the best place to see a Great Slaty Woodpecker?

Yes

Of the 12 parks where we can rate Great Slaty Woodpecker sightings, Royal Bardia National Park has the highest daily chance: about 30%. Next come Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary (Malaysia, about 10%) and Taman Negara National Park (Malaysia, about 10%).

Which relatives of the Great Slaty Woodpecker live in Royal Bardia National Park?

Same family: Picidae

The closest relatives of the Great Slaty Woodpecker that you can see in Royal Bardia National Park (family Picidae, Woodpeckers) are Streak-throated Woodpecker (about 40%), Black-rumped Flameback (about 40%) and Himalayan Flameback (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Great Slaty Woodpecker sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Great Slaty Woodpecker is recorded against all the birds logged in Royal Bardia National Park (83 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.

← Back to Royal Bardia National Park