Melanerpes aurifrons
Silhouette: Jason Dilworth · PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
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 | Cusuco National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 3 | Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 4 | Lago de Yojoa | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 5 | Pico Bonito National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 6 | Calakmul Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 7 | El Triunfo | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 8 | Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 9 | Tikal National Park | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 10 | Celaque National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 11 | Cañón del Sumidero National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 12 | La Tigra National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 13 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 14 | Biotopo Cerro Cahuí | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 15 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 16 | Celestún Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 17 | Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇧🇿 Belize | |
| 18 | Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 19 | Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monterrey | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 2 | Torreón | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 3 | León | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 4 | Tegucigalpa | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 5 | San Pedro Sula | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 6 | Guatemala City | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 7 | San Salvador | 🇸🇻 El Salvador | |
| 8 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Guadalajara | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 10 | San Luis Potosí | 🇲🇽 México |
Very likely
About 70% of wildlife watchers report a Golden-fronted Woodpecker sighting in Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve on a given day, based on 1,795 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 3rd most-seen of the 288 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January and April–June
In those months about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Golden-fronted Woodpecker in Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve on a given day, against about 60% in July, the lowest month.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Golden-fronted 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.
Yes
Of the 19 parks where we can rate Golden-fronted Woodpecker sightings, Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve has the highest daily chance: about 70%. Next come Cusuco National Park (Honduras, about 70%) and Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park (Honduras, about 70%). All parks ranked.
Same genus: Melanerpes
The closest relatives of the Golden-fronted Woodpecker that you can see in Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve (genus Melanerpes, Melanerpes Woodpeckers) are Yucatán Woodpecker (about 30%) 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 Golden-fronted Woodpecker is recorded against all the birds logged in Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve (1,795 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.
