Celeus spectabilis
Silhouette: Pepe Reigada · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
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 Yasuní National Park on a given day, based on 97 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 313th most-seen of the 533 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August and October–November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous-headed Woodpecker in Yasuní National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September and December–July, the lowest months.
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.
Yes
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Rufous-headed Woodpecker sightings, Yasuní National Park has the highest daily chance: under 5%. Next come Manu National Park (Peru, under 5%) and Tambopata National Reserve (Peru, under 5%).
Same genus: Celeus
The closest relatives of the Rufous-headed Woodpecker that you can see in Yasuní National Park (genus Celeus, Neotropical Crested Woodpeckers) are Cream-colored Woodpecker (about 20%), Chestnut Woodpecker (about 10%) and Waved 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 Yasuní National Park (97 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.
