This bird is a medium-sized woodpecker that has a yellow-green back and gray underparts. Males have a red crown while females have a plain gray one. They may also have a small orange or bright red patch in the center of their belly. These birds can be found in various habitats including gardens, farmland, mangroves, forest edge, and gallery forest. When agitated, they make an ascending series of “k-k-kree” calls. Although they may overlap slightly with the Mountain Gray Woodpecker, they can be distinguished by the barring on their wing and undertail as well as the lack of a large, deep red patch on their belly.
