Cardinal Woodpecker
Dendropicos fuscescens
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderPiciformes (Woodpeckers and Allies)
- FamilyPicidae (Woodpeckers)
- GenusDendropicos
- SpeciesDendropicos fuscescens (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. Wikipedia →
10–20% of wildlife watchers report a Cardinal Woodpecker sighting in Tsavo East National Park, based on 195 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Tsavo East National Park
Nubian Woodpecker
Campethera nubica
Mombasa Woodpecker
Campethera mombassica
Little Green Woodpecker
Campethera maculosa
Bearded Woodpecker
Chloropicus namaquus
Eurasian Wryneck
Jynx torquilla
D'Arnaud's Barbet
Trachyphonus darnaudii
Green Barbet
Stactolaema olivacea
Red-and-yellow Barbet
Trachyphonus erythrocephalus
Spot-flanked Barbet
Tricholaema lacrymosa
Black-throated Barbet
Tricholaema melanocephala
Greater Honeyguide
Indicator indicator
Green Tinkerbird
Pogoniulus simplex
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
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
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Cardinal Woodpecker in Tsavo East National Park?
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Cardinal Woodpecker sighting in Tsavo East National Park, based on 195 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Cardinal Woodpecker in Tsavo East National Park?
December has the highest sighting rate for Cardinal Woodpecker in Tsavo East National Park in our monthly data.