This woodpecker lives in eastern African forests and searches for insects on trunks and on the ground. It has a gray head and underside; adult males have a red crown.
The upperparts are yellowish green, the rump is red, and the wings and tail are dark brown. The head and underside are pale gray, with a reddish patch on the rear belly. Adult males have a red crown and nape; females have gray heads.
It uses humid forest, forest edges, and gallery forest. It searches in trees and on the ground for moths, centipedes, larvae, and pupae.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.