Cardinal Woodpecker

Hosts on Spekboom have recorded the Cardinal Woodpecker at stays in or beside Cederberg Wilderness Area, Kruger National Park, Gamkaberg Nature Reserve, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Kwandwe Private Game Reserve and Rocherpan Nature Reserve and other reserves. A record means a host has seen it on the property or nearby, which makes these the places to base yourself; it is never a guarantee of a sighting on any given day.

The Cardinal Woodpecker is most recorded in KwaZulu-Natal (30% of records), Western Cape (18% of records), Mpumalanga (17% of records), based on 1,645 iNaturalist observations. 72 places to stay on Spekboom in South Africa have recorded the Cardinal Woodpecker on site or nearby.

The Cardinal Woodpecker is recorded throughout the year, so no month is the wrong month to look for it. For the parks where hosts record it most, these are the best seasons they give. Cederberg Wilderness Area: Sep-Apr, flowers Aug-Oct; Kruger National Park: Apr-Sep; Gamkaberg Nature Reserve: Autumn and spring, Mar-May, Sep-Nov; Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park: Aug-Oct, flowers, Mar-May. In the dry months animals concentrate at water and the grass is short.

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.