The Cinnamon Woodpecker has cinnamon-colored upperparts and wavy black barring. Plumage and barring vary among subspecies and individuals; males have a red throat, while females have a uniformly rufous head.
The crown, sides of the head, back, and wings are cinnamon-rufous, with narrow wavy black bars on the back and wings. The underside is mostly buff with strong black bars. Males have a red or red-black throat to cheek, while females have a uniformly rufous head and throat. Subspecies diversus is larger and darker than mentalis, and some innotatus individuals lack bars above and below.
It eats ants, termites, and fruits such as bananas. It usually forages in the canopy but may come lower at forest edges and clearings.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.