This Sri Lankan woodpecker is the red-backed form. It is most widespread in the wet zone, while birds in the north-central contact area can show intermediate plumage.
In the southern red-backed form, the back is scarlet. Birds near the north-central contact zone with the golden-backed form can have intermediate colors.
Red-backed birds are widespread in Sri Lanka’s wet zone. In the northern dry zone, scarlet or orange-backed individuals were mostly found near rivers and tanks.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.