This woodpecker ranges from southeastern Mexico through Central America and uses woodland as well as open, human-modified places.
Its back and wings are barred black and white, with a white rump and grey underparts. Males have red on the crown and nape; females lack the red crown.
It uses thorn scrub, oak–juniper woodland, riparian corridors, parks, and eats invertebrates as well as plant matter.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.