This small Sahelian woodpecker lives in dry, sparsely wooded country and searches trees for insect larvae.
Males have a dull-red hindcrown and nape; females have brown across the crown and nape. The upperparts and wings are grayish brown with white bars, and the rump is red.
It searches trees for insect larvae by hammering and pecking. It also occurs in wooded steppe, semi-desert, dry streambeds, and wadis with trees.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.