This woodpecker occurs in northern and north-eastern Brazil. Males have a red cheek stripe, and a study in Maranhão recorded the species excavating nest cavities in tree trunks.
The head and face are yellow, with a prominent yellow crest. The back is ochre-yellow with fine black barring. Males have a red stripe on the cheek.
In the study region in Maranhão, cavities were excavated in the trunks of living or dead trees. Active nests were found from September to January, which the authors considered the principal breeding season for that region.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.