Meiglyptes tristis
Silhouette: Pepe Reigada · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
The zebra woodpecker (Meiglyptes tristis) is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It is found in Java. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is considered endangered.
The zebra woodpecker was described by the American naturalist Thomas Horsfield in 1821 under the binomial name Picus tristis from a specimen collected in Java. The specific epithet tristis is Latin for "sad" or "gloomy". The species is now placed in the genus Meiglyptes that was introduced by the English naturalist William Swainson in 1837.
The zebra woodpecker is a monotypic species, but it was previously considered conspecific with the buff-rumped woodpecker as two subspecies. It is found in plantations of coconuts, rubber, and silk plants; villages that border secondary forest; mangroves; and polyculture areas. It is known to access disturbed habitats. It is disputed whether zebra woodpeckers are found within primary and secondary forests.
Image at ADW Archived 2008-10-11 at the Wayback Machine Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Khao Luang National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 2 | Way Kambas National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 3 | Danum Valley Conservation Area | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 4 | Taman Negara National Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 5 | Sepilok | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 6 | Tanjung Puting National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 7 | Kaeng Krachan National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 8 | Khao Sok National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 9 | Gunung Leuser National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 10 | Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 11 | Kinabalu Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kuala Lumpur | 🇲🇾 Malaysia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a White-rumped Woodpecker sighting in Sepilok on a given day, based on 373 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 83rd most-seen of the 242 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a White-rumped Woodpecker in Sepilok on a given day, against about 10% in February–April, July–September and December, the lowest months.
Between 1 and 4 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most White-rumped Woodpecker sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
5th of 11
Of the 11 parks where we can rate White-rumped Woodpecker sightings, Sepilok ranks 5th at about 10%. The best odds are in Khao Luang National Park (Thailand, about 30%), Way Kambas National Park (Indonesia, about 20%) and Danum Valley Conservation Area (Malaysia, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the White-rumped Woodpecker is recorded against all the birds logged in Sepilok (373 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.
