Celeus spectabilis
Silhouette: Pepe Reigada · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10%
The rufous-headed woodpecker (Celeus spectabilis) is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru. What is now Kaempfer's woodpecker (C. obrieni) was included as a third subspecies until the early 2000s.
The rufous-headed woodpecker is about 26 to 28 cm (10 to 11 in) long. Subspecies C. s. exsul weighs about 111 g (3.9 oz); weight data are lacking for the nominate. The sexes differ only on their heads: Adult males of both subspecies have a deep red malar patch and a larger one on their bushy crest; females do not have the red malar and have at most a trace of red on the crest. Both sexes of both subspecies have a rufous-chestnut head. They have a cream-buff patch low on the neck that extends down the side of the breast and a black lower throat and breast. Their hindneck and upper back are creamy buff to pale cinnamon-yellow with very wide black bars. Their lower back, rump, and uppertail coverts are... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yasuní National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 2 | Manu National Park | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 3 | Tambopata National Reserve | 🇵🇪 Peru |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous-headed Woodpecker sighting in Tambopata National Reserve on a given day, based on 63 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 382nd most-seen of the 550 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous-headed Woodpecker in Tambopata National Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in October to August, the lowest months. That is one of Tambopata National Reserve's driest months, with about 90 mm of rain against 420 mm in February.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Rufous-headed Woodpecker sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Rufous-headed Woodpecker sightings, Tambopata National Reserve ranks 3rd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Yasuní National Park (Ecuador, under 5%) and Manu National Park (Peru, under 5%).
Same genus: Celeus
The closest relatives of the Rufous-headed Woodpecker that you can see in Tambopata National Reserve (genus Celeus, Neotropical Crested Woodpeckers) are Cream-colored Woodpecker (about 10%) and Ringed Woodpecker (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Rufous-headed Woodpecker is recorded against all the birds logged in Tambopata National Reserve (63 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.
