This woodpecker occurs in the eastern Andes, in montane forest and scrub. It has olive-brown upperparts, barred underparts, and red on the male’s head; it forages near the ground.
The upperparts are olive-brown and the underparts are barred. The male has red on the forehead, crown and nape; the female lacks red on the head.
It forages alone or in pairs, often near the ground in low montane forest, scrub and humid scrub surrounded by grassland near the tree line.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.