Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Yellow-bellied SapsuckerYellow-bellied SapsuckerYellow-bellied SapsuckerYellow-bellied Sapsucker

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Sphyrapicus varius

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Tikal National Park
7 Verified sightings at Tikal National Park From 2019 to 2026
9,582 Verified sightings across all 68 parks From 2019 to 2026
December Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

The yellow-bellied sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius) is a medium-sized woodpecker that breeds in Canada and the northeastern United States. The yellow-bellied sapsucker was described and illustrated using a hand-coloured plate by the English naturalist Mark Catesby in his The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands which was published between 1729 and 1732. When in 1766 the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated his Systema Naturae for the twelfth edition, he included the yellow-bellied sapsucker, coined the binomial name Picus varius and cited Catesby's book. The specific epithet varius is the Latin word meaning "various", "diverse" or "variegated". Linnaeus specified the type locality as America septentrionalis (North America) but the locality is now restricted to South Carolina. The yellow-bellied sapsucker is now placed in the genus Sphyrapicus that was erected in 1858 by the American naturalist Spencer Baird with the yellow-bellied sapsucker as the type species. Within the genus Sphyrapicus, the yellow-bellied sapsucker is sister to a clade containing the red-breasted sapsucker (Sphyrapicus ruber) and the red-naped sapsucker (Sphyrapicus nuchalis... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Tikal National Park

Pale-billed Woodpecker
LC

Pale-billed Woodpecker

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Campephilus guatemalensis

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
Golden-fronted Woodpecker
LC

Golden-fronted Woodpecker

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Melanerpes aurifrons

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
Lineated Woodpecker

Lineated Woodpecker

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Dryocopus lineatus

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
Chestnut-colored Woodpecker
LC

Chestnut-colored Woodpecker

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Celeus castaneus

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
Golden-olive Woodpecker
LC

Golden-olive Woodpecker

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Colaptes rubiginosus

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Smoky-brown Woodpecker

Smoky-brown Woodpecker

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Leuconotopicus fumigatus

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Velasquez's Woodpecker

Velasquez's Woodpecker

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Melanerpes santacruzi

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Acorn Woodpecker
LC Endemic

Acorn Woodpecker

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Melanerpes formicivorus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Black-cheeked Woodpecker
LC

Black-cheeked Woodpecker

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Melanerpes pucherani

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Yucatán Woodpecker
LC

Yucatán Woodpecker

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Melanerpes pygmaeus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
LC

Ladder-backed Woodpecker

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Dryobates scalaris

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Keel-billed Toucan
NT

Keel-billed Toucan

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Ramphastos sulfuratus

Daily sighting probability ~70% · Very likely

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 Riding Mountain National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~30%
2 Wood Buffalo National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~30%
3 Congaree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~30%
4 Elk Island National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~20%
5 Voyageurs National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
6 Shenandoah National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
7 Ciénaga de Zapata 🇨🇺 Cuba
~10%
8 Great Smoky Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
9 Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
10 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
11 Isle Royale National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
12 Kluane National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
13 Big Cypress National Preserve 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
14 Everglades National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
15 Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
16 Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
17 Chagres National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
18 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
19 Cusuco National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
20 Big Bend National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
21 Jasper National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
22 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
23 Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
24 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
25 Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park 🇯🇲 Jamaica
<5%
26 Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
27 Lago de Yojoa 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
28 Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary 🇧🇿 Belize
<5%
29 Calakmul Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
30 Masaya Volcano National Park 🇳🇮 Nicaragua
<5%
31 Cape Breton Highlands National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
32 Cañón del Sumidero National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
33 Celestún Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
34 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
35 Saguaro National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
36 Death Valley National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
37 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
38 Los Quetzales National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
39 Tikal National Park 🇬🇹 Guatemala
<5%
40 Zion National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
41 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
42 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
43 Banff National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
44 Great Bear Rainforest 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
45 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
46 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
47 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
48 Joshua Tree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
49 Nahanni National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
Insufficient data
50 Celaque National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
Insufficient data
51 Biotopo Cerro Cahuí 🇬🇹 Guatemala
Insufficient data
52 Guadalupe Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
53 Pico Bonito National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
Insufficient data
54 Wrangell-St. Elias National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
55 La Tigra National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
Insufficient data
56 Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
57 Cahuita National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
58 Irazú Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
59 Rincón de la Vieja National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
60 Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data
61 Volcán Barú National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
62 Grand Canyon National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
63 Gros Morne National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
Insufficient data
64 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
65 Channel Islands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
66 Yosemite National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
67 Olympic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
68 Rocky Mountain National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker in Tikal National Park?

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker sighting in Tikal National Park, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Yellow-bellied Sapsucker in Tikal National Park?

December has the highest sighting rate for Yellow-bellied Sapsucker in Tikal National Park in our monthly data.

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