This woodpecker is native only to Hispaniola. Its yellow-and-black barring, red crown, and groups around tree trunks make it conspicuous. During breeding, several pairs may nest near one another where trees offer many cavities.
The back and wings are barred yellow and black; the crown is red, the face grey, and the eye yellow.
It is often noisy and social, using forest, palm groves, plantations, and scrub with trees.
A Dominican Republic study found larger colonies on dead royal palms with more cavities. The species is a facultative colonial breeder and may nest alone or near other pairs.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.