Red-crowned Woodpecker

Red-crowned Woodpecker

Melanerpes rubricapillus

Silhouette: Jason Dilworth · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
at Chirripó National Park
916 Verified sightings at Chirripó National Park From 2019 to 2026
19,547 Verified sightings across all 26 parks From 2019 to 2026
September Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Red-crowned Woodpecker

The red-crowned woodpecker (Melanerpes rubricapillus) is a species of bird in the subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and Tobago. The red-crowned woodpecker has sometimes been placed in the genus Centurus. It has also sometimes been treated as conspecific with the Yucatan woodpecker (M. pygmaeus) and some authors consider them a superspecies.

The red-crowned woodpecker has these four subspecies: M. r. rubricapillus (Cabanis, 1862) M. r. subfusculus (Wetmore, 1957) M. r. seductus Bangs, 1901 M. r. paraguanae (Gilliard, 1940) The validity of subspecies M. r. paraguanae has been challenged, and some other subspecies have been proposed but not accepted as valid.

The red-crowned woodpecker is 16 to 18.5 cm (6.3 to 7.3 in) long and weighs 40 to 65 g (1.4 to 2.3 oz). The sexes' plumage is alike except for their head pattern. Adult males of the nominate subspecies have a pale yellow to whitish forehead, a bright red crown, and an orange-red nape and hindneck. Adult females have the same pale yellow to whitish forehead but a pale gray-buff to whitish crown... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 San Lorenzo Protected Forest 🇵🇦 Panama
~60%
2 Coiba National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~60%
3 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~50%
4 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~50%
5 Tayrona National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~50%
6 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~40%
7 Marino Ballena National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~40%
8 Darién National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~40%
9 Parque Natural Metropolitano 🇵🇦 Panama
~40%
10 Chirripó National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~40%
11 Main Ridge Forest Reserve 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago
~30%
12 Henri Pittier National Park 🇻🇪 Venezuela
~30%
13 Chagres National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~30%
14 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
~30%
15 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
16 Volcán Barú National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~20%
17 Puracé National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~10%
18 Farallones de Cali National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~10%
19 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
20 Los Nevados National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
21 Los Quetzales National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
22 Sierra de la Macarena National Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
23 Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
24 Canaima National Park 🇻🇪 Venezuela
Insufficient data
25 Chingaza National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
Insufficient data
26 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Red-crowned Woodpecker in Chirripó National Park?

About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Red-crowned Woodpecker sighting in Chirripó National Park, based on 916 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Red-crowned Woodpecker in Chirripó National Park?

September has the highest sighting rate for Red-crowned Woodpecker in Chirripó National Park in our monthly data.

← Back to Chirripó National Park