This small woodpecker occurs in northern Colombia and northwestern Venezuela. It uses dry woodland, mangroves, and other dry scrubby habitats, and males and females differ in crown spotting.
The body is mainly chestnut. The black crown is flecked with gold in males and whitish in females. Forehead color varies among described subspecies, from whitish to rufous.
Dry tropical forest, dry mangrove forest, and dry shrubland are listed as natural habitats. The account says detailed life-history information is limited.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.