Cardinal Woodpecker
Cardinal WoodpeckerCardinal WoodpeckerCardinal WoodpeckerCardinal Woodpecker

Cardinal Woodpecker

Dendropicos fuscescens

Silhouette: Pepe Reigada · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Tarangire National Park
174 Verified sightings at Tarangire National Park From 2019 to 2026
7,226 Verified sightings across all 51 parks From 2019 to 2026
April Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Cardinal Woodpecker

The cardinal woodpecker (Dendropicos fuscescens) is a widespread and common resident breeder in much of sub-Saharan Africa. It occurs in a wide range of habitats, ranging from dense forest to thorn bush. It is fairly vocal and is easily identified by its call notes. The sexes are distinguishable by their head patterns. They feed primarily on tree-boring insects; using their adhering tongues they extract the insects from holes in wood or bark.

The cardinal woodpecker was formally described in 1818 by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot under the binomial name Picus fuscescens. This woodpecker is now placed with 11 other sub-Saharan woodpeckers in the genus Dendropicos that was introduced by the French ornithologist, Alfred Malherbe in 1849. The word Dendropicos combines the Ancient Greek dendron meaning tree with pikos meaning woodpecker. The specific epithet fuscescens is Modern Latin for "blackish".

A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2017 found that the cardinal woodpecker was sister to the speckle-breasted woodpecker (Dendropicos poecilolaemus). Nine subspecies are recognized. D. f. lafresnayi Malherbe, 1849 – Senegal and Gambia to Nigeria

D. f... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Tarangire National Park

Eastern Grey Woodpecker
LC

Eastern Grey Woodpecker

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Dendropicos spodocephalus

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Nubian Woodpecker
LC

Nubian Woodpecker

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Campethera nubica

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
Bearded Woodpecker

Bearded Woodpecker

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chloropicus namaquus

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Golden-tailed Woodpecker
LC

Golden-tailed Woodpecker

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Campethera abingoni

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Little Green Woodpecker
LC

Little Green Woodpecker

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Campethera maculosa

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Red-and-yellow Barbet
LC

Red-and-yellow Barbet

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Trachyphonus erythrocephalus

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
D'Arnaud's Barbet
LC

D'Arnaud's Barbet

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Trachyphonus darnaudii

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
Greater Honeyguide
LC

Greater Honeyguide

🌙 Nocturnal Bird

Indicator indicator

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Lesser Honeyguide
LC

Lesser Honeyguide

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Indicator minor

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Spot-flanked Barbet
LC

Spot-flanked Barbet

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Tricholaema lacrymosa

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
White-headed Barbet
LC

White-headed Barbet

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Lybius leucocephalus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Red-fronted Barbet
LC

Red-fronted Barbet

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Tricholaema diademata

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Samburu National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
~20%
2 Meru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~20%
3 Liwonde National Park 🇲🇼 Malawi
~20%
4 Ruaha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~20%
5 Mikumi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~20%
6 Mana Pools National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~20%
7 Lower Zambezi National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
~20%
8 Awash National Park 🇪🇹 Ethiopia
~20%
9 Lake Manyara National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~20%
10 Lake Mburo National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~20%
11 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
12 Tsavo West National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~20%
13 Arusha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~20%
14 Bwindi Impenetrable National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~20%
15 Kafue National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
~20%
16 Gorongosa National Park 🇲🇿 Mozambique
~20%
17 Mkomazi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~20%
18 Gonarezhou National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~10%
19 Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
20 Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
21 Niokolo-Koba National Park 🇸🇳 Senegal
~10%
22 Tarangire National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
23 South Luangwa National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
~10%
24 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
25 Amboseli National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
26 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
27 Nairobi National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
28 Virunga National Park 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo
~10%
29 Kibale National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
30 Addo Elephant National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
31 Tsavo East National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
32 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
33 Murchison Falls National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
34 Hwange National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~10%
35 Lake Nakuru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
36 Pilanesberg National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
37 Queen Elizabeth National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
38 Moremi Game Reserve 🇧🇼 Botswana
~10%
39 Waterberg Plateau Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
~10%
40 Aberdare National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
41 Kidepo Valley National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
42 Masai Mara National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
43 Etosha National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
~10%
44 Chobe National Park 🇧🇼 Botswana
~10%
45 Volcanoes National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
<5%
46 Namib-Naukluft National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
<5%
47 Nyungwe National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
<5%
48 Akagera National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
<5%
49 Garden Route National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
50 Selous Game Reserve 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data
51 Table Mountain National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Cardinal Woodpecker in Tarangire National Park?

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Cardinal Woodpecker sighting in Tarangire National Park, based on 174 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Cardinal Woodpecker in Tarangire National Park?

April has the highest sighting rate for Cardinal Woodpecker in Tarangire National Park in our monthly data.

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