Chestnut-colored Woodpecker

Chestnut-colored Woodpecker

Celeus castaneus

Silhouette: Pepe Reigada · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
at Tikal National Park

In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%

695 Verified sightings at Tikal National Park From 2019 to 2026
2,082 In all 13 parks
December Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Chestnut-colored Woodpecker

The chestnut-colored woodpecker (Celeus castaneus) is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama. The chestnut-colored woodpecker is monotypic.

The chestnut-colored woodpecker is 21.5 to 25 cm (8.5 to 9.8 in) long and weighs 80 to 105 g (2.8 to 3.7 oz). Both sexes' heads are dull ochraceous or tawny with a pointed crest. Males are bright red from the lores to behind the eye and down to the throat; the chin and upper throat sometimes also have some red. Females have no red. Both sexes of adults have rufous-chestnut upperparts with a cinnamon-buff rump and black bars on the back and uppertail coverts. Their flight feathers are rufous-chestnut with some dusky brown tips. Their tail feathers are dull black with chestnut bases. Their underparts are chestnut heavily marked with black "V" or "U" shapes. Individuals have some variation in the intensity of the black markings, especially the bars on their upperparts. The adult's bill is ivory-yellow with a blue-green tinge at its base, their iris chestnut or garnet brown, and their... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:05

Belize · 2019

© Paul Driver · XC522432 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song0:10

Honduras · 2014

© Carlos Alexander Alberto · XC183139 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:19

Costa Rica · 2019

© Hans Matheve · XC517702 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Tikal National Park 🇬🇹 Guatemala
~30%
2 Pico Bonito National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~30%
3 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
4 Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
5 Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary 🇧🇿 Belize
~10%
6 Calakmul Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
7 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
8 Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
9 Biotopo Cerro Cahuí 🇬🇹 Guatemala
<5%
10 Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
11 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
12 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
13 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Chestnut-colored Woodpecker in Tikal National Park?

Possible

About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Chestnut-colored Woodpecker sighting in Tikal National Park on a given day, based on 695 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 40th most-seen of the 300 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Chestnut-colored Woodpecker in Tikal National Park?

December

In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Chestnut-colored Woodpecker in Tikal National Park on a given day, against about 10% in June, the lowest month.

What time of day is best to see a Chestnut-colored Woodpecker?

Between 8 and 11 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Chestnut-colored 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.

Is Tikal National Park the best place to see a Chestnut-colored Woodpecker?

Yes

Of the 13 parks where we can rate Chestnut-colored Woodpecker sightings, Tikal National Park has the highest daily chance: about 30%. Next come Pico Bonito National Park (Honduras, about 30%) and Tortuguero National Park (Costa Rica, about 10%).

Which relatives of the Chestnut-colored Woodpecker live in Tikal National Park?

Same family: Picidae

The closest relatives of the Chestnut-colored Woodpecker that you can see in Tikal National Park (family Picidae, Woodpeckers) are Pale-billed Woodpecker (about 50%), Golden-fronted Woodpecker (about 50%) and Lineated Woodpecker (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Chestnut-colored Woodpecker sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Chestnut-colored Woodpecker is recorded against all the birds logged in Tikal National Park (695 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.

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