The Abyssinian Woodpecker has a golden-yellow back and red rump and occurs in the Ethiopian highlands. It uses wooded habitats but is described as elusive.
The adult has a red patch on the hindcrown, a yellow-to-golden back, and a red rump and uppertail-coverts. Its white underparts have dark streaks, broadest on the breast. The female's crown and nape are ash-brown rather than red.
It frequents mountain juniper woodland, Hagenia and euphorbia trees, wooded grassland, and damp montane savanna, mainly at about 1,600–3,000 m. The guide says it can be elusive and difficult to see.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.