Picus chlorolophus
Silhouette: Martin Bulla, based on John Cox's illustration · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The lesser yellownape (Picus chlorolophus) is a type of woodpecker which is a widespread and often common breeder in tropical and sub-tropical Asia, primarily the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It ranges from India, Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka eastwards to Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam. Much of the scientific knowledge gathered about this species is sourced from formal studies in various parts of India.
This is a jungle species which nests in a tree cavity, laying two to four white eggs. Like other woodpecking birds, this species has a straight pointed bill, a stiff tail to provide support against tree trunks, and zygodactyl or "yoked" feet, with two toes pointing forward, and two backward. The long tongue can be darted forward to capture insects.
The lesser yellownape is a largish species at 27 cm in length. It has a typical woodpecker shape. The upperparts are green apart from the bright yellow tufted nape. The neck and breast are green and the belly is whitish, finely barred with green. The rump and tail are blackish.
The adult male lesser yellownape has a green head with a white throat. He has... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sinharaja Forest Reserve | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 2 | Royal Manas National Park | 🇧🇹 Bhutan | |
| 3 | Cat Tien National Park | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 4 | Jim Corbett National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 5 | Manas National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 6 | Namdapha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 7 | Chitwan National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 8 | Periyar National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 9 | Mudumalai National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 10 | Kerinci Seblat National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 11 | Sundarbans National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 12 | Nagarhole National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 13 | Royal Bardia National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 14 | Kaziranga National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 15 | Khao Yai National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 16 | Doi Inthanon National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 17 | Bandipur National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 18 | Horton Plains National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 19 | Satpura National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 20 | Kanha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 21 | Kaeng Krachan National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dehradun | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Thrissur | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 3 | Kozhikode | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 4 | Kathmandu | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 5 | Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Yellownape sighting in Sundarbans National Park on a given day, based on 79 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 93rd most-seen of the 177 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Yellownape in Sundarbans National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September to March, the lowest months. That is one of Sundarbans National Park's wettest months, with about 480 mm of rain against 15 mm in January. May and June have too few records to rate.
Between 3 and 6 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Lesser Yellownape sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
11th of 21
Of the 21 parks where we can rate Lesser Yellownape sightings, Sundarbans National Park ranks 11th at about 10%. The best odds are in Sinharaja Forest Reserve (Sri Lanka, about 30%), Royal Manas National Park (Bhutan, about 30%) and Cat Tien National Park (Vietnam, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Lesser Yellownape is recorded against all the birds logged in Sundarbans National Park (79 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.
