Crimson-crested Woodpecker
Crimson-crested WoodpeckerCrimson-crested WoodpeckerCrimson-crested WoodpeckerCrimson-crested Woodpecker

Crimson-crested Woodpecker

Campephilus melanoleucos

Silhouette: Arthur A. Allen (modified) · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Serra da Canastra National Park
12 Verified sightings at Serra da Canastra National Park From 2019 to 2026
11,436 Verified sightings across all 34 parks From 2019 to 2026
December Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Crimson-crested Woodpecker

The crimson-crested woodpecker (Campephilus melanoleucos) is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Panama, Trinidad, and in every mainland South American country except Chile and Uruguay.

The crimson-crested woodpecker was formally described in 1788 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it with the other woodpeckers in the genus Picus and coined the binomial name Picus melanoleucos. The specific epithet melanoleucos combines the Ancient Greek melas meaning "black" with leukos meaning "white". Gmelin based his description on the "buff-crested woodpecker" from Surinam that had been described and illustrated in 1782 by the English ornithologist John Latham from a specimen in the Leverian Museum in London.

The crimson-crested woodpecker was for a time placed in genus Scapaneus but this was merged into the genus Phloeoceastes by James Peters in 1948. The genus Phloeoceastes was itself merged into the current genus Campephilus by Lester Short in 1982. The crimson-crested woodpecker has three subspecies:

C. m. malherbii... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Serra da Canastra National Park

Campo Flicker
LC

Campo Flicker

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Colaptes campestris

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
White-barred Piculet
LC

White-barred Piculet

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Picumnus cirratus

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Little Woodpecker

Little Woodpecker

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Veniliornis passerinus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Green-barred Woodpecker
LC

Green-barred Woodpecker

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Colaptes melanochloros

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
White Woodpecker
LC

White Woodpecker

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Melanerpes candidus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Checkered Woodpecker
LC

Checkered Woodpecker

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Veniliornis mixtus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Blond-crested Woodpecker
LC

Blond-crested Woodpecker

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Celeus flavescens

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Lineated Woodpecker

Lineated Woodpecker

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Dryocopus lineatus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
White-wedged Piculet
LC

White-wedged Piculet

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Picumnus albosquamatus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
White-spotted Woodpecker
LC

White-spotted Woodpecker

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Veniliornis spilogaster

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Golden-green Woodpecker
LC

Golden-green Woodpecker

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Piculus chrysochloros

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Toco Toucan
LC

Toco Toucan

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Ramphastos toco

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Yasuní National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
~40%
2 Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve 🇪🇨 Ecuador
~40%
3 Darién National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~30%
4 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~30%
5 Tayrona National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~30%
6 Parque Natural Metropolitano 🇵🇦 Panama
~20%
7 Amacayacu National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~20%
8 San Lorenzo Protected Forest 🇵🇦 Panama
~20%
9 Sierra de la Macarena National Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~20%
10 Tambopata National Reserve 🇵🇪 Peru
~10%
11 Manu National Park 🇵🇪 Peru
~10%
12 Madidi National Park 🇧🇴 Bolivia
~10%
13 Chagres National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
~10%
14 Cordillera Azul National Park 🇵🇪 Peru
~10%
15 Anavilhanas National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
16 Canaima National Park 🇻🇪 Venezuela
~10%
17 Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
18 Henri Pittier National Park 🇻🇪 Venezuela
<5%
19 Amboró National Park 🇧🇴 Bolivia
<5%
20 Chapada Diamantina National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
21 Serra da Canastra National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
22 Farallones de Cali National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
23 Los Nevados National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
24 Podocarpus National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%
25 Chapada dos Guimarães National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
26 Caroni Swamp 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago
Insufficient data
27 Utría National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
Insufficient data
28 Emas National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
Insufficient data
29 Brownsberg Nature Park 🇸🇷 Suriname
Insufficient data
30 Puracé National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
Insufficient data
31 Chingaza National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
Insufficient data
32 Itatiaia National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
Insufficient data
33 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
34 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Crimson-crested Woodpecker in Serra da Canastra National Park?

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Crimson-crested Woodpecker sighting in Serra da Canastra National Park, based on 12 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Crimson-crested Woodpecker in Serra da Canastra National Park?

December has the highest sighting rate for Crimson-crested Woodpecker in Serra da Canastra National Park in our monthly data.

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