Skip to main content

Where to see

Where to see the Cardinal Woodpecker in South Africa

Hosts have recorded the Cardinal Woodpecker at stays in or beside Cederberg Wilderness Area, Kruger National Park and Gamkaberg Nature Reserve.

Dendropicos fuscescens

See where to stay
Cardinal Woodpecker
Photo: (c) Joseph Morlan, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Joseph Morlan

Planning a trip

When and where to find the Cardinal Woodpecker

Hosts have recorded the Cardinal Woodpecker at stays in or beside Cederberg Wilderness Area, Kruger National Park and Gamkaberg Nature Reserve.

Best hours of the day

  • The first hours after sunrise, and late afternoon. Birds call and feed most in the cool.
  • Midday. Quieter, especially in summer heat.

Where to base yourself

  • Western Cape

    Western Cape

    Cederberg Wilderness Area · Gamkaberg · Rocherpan

    Self-driveMalaria-free
    Stays in Western Cape
    Western Cape
  • Limpopo

    Limpopo

    Kruger

    Self-drive
    Stays in Limpopo
    Limpopo
  • Northern Cape

    Northern Cape

    Kgalagadi

    Self-driveMalaria-free
    Stays in Northern Cape
    Northern Cape
  • Eastern Cape

    Eastern Cape

    Kwandwe

    Guided drivesMalaria-free
    Stays in Eastern Cape
    Eastern Cape

Ways to look

Drive yourself

Your own vehicle and pace, on the park's roads.

Where hosts record it

Cederberg Wilderness AreaKrugerGamkabergKgalagadiRocherpan

Guided drives from a lodge

A guide who knows where to look, with off-road and night drives in the private reserves.

Where hosts record it

Kwandwe

Species

Dendropicos fuscescens

Records

1,645

iNaturalist observations

Every booking on Spekboom supports conservation.

Questions travellers ask

A record means a host has seen the Cardinal Woodpecker on the property or nearby. It is never a guarantee of a sighting.

Which parks and reserves are best for the Cardinal Woodpecker in South Africa?

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.

Where can you see the Cardinal Woodpecker in South Africa?

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.

When is the best time to see the Cardinal Woodpecker?

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.

What is 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.

Stays that give back

Where to stay for a chance to see the Cardinal Woodpecker

Every stay on the Cardinal Woodpecker page lists the species its host has recorded on or near the property. A record is a sighting, never a promise.

See where to stay