Orange-Backed Woodpecker

Orange-Backed Woodpecker

Reinwardtipicus validus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Sepilok
230 Verified sightings at Sepilok From 2019 to 2026
685 Verified sightings across all 8 parks From 2019 to 2026
February Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Orange-Backed Woodpecker

The orange-backed woodpecker (Chrysocolaptes validus) is a bird in the woodpecker family Picidae, found in southern Thailand, Malaya, Sarawak and Sabah in Malaysia, Brunei, Sumatra, and Java. It is a forest specialist that is found primarily in the canopy.

The orange-backed woodpecker was described and illustrated in 1825 by Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck in his Nouveau recueil de planches coloriées d'oiseaux from specimens that had been collected on the Indonesian island of Java. He coined the binomial name Pic validus. This species was previously placed in its own genus Reinwardtipicus. It is now one of ten species placed in the genus Chrysocolaptes that was introduced in 1843 by the English zoologist Edward Blyth.

Two subspecies are recognised: C. v. xanthopygius (Finsch, 1905) – the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo; C. v. validus (Temminck, 1825) – Java. BirdLife species factsheet for Chrysocolaptes validus "Reinwardtipicus validus". Avibase.

"Orange-backed woodpecker media". Internet Bird Collection. Interactive range map of Chrysocolaptes validus at IUCN Red List Audio recordings of Orange-backed... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Way Kambas National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~10%
2 Sepilok 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~10%
3 Taman Negara National Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~10%
4 Kinabalu Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
<5%
5 Kerinci Seblat National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
<5%
6 Danum Valley Conservation Area 🇲🇾 Malaysia
<5%
7 Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary 🇲🇾 Malaysia
<5%
8 Gunung Leuser National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
<5%

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Orange-Backed Woodpecker in Sepilok?

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Orange-Backed Woodpecker sighting in Sepilok, based on 230 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Orange-Backed Woodpecker in Sepilok?

February has the highest sighting rate for Orange-Backed Woodpecker in Sepilok in our monthly data.

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