Figure 1. I saw a small group of these birds in the interior of northern Ceará, in semiopen Caatinga with relatively old trees (regrowth more than 20 years old) and Carnaubeira palms. There were maybe 3-4 individuals, loudly vocalizing. I never encountered this Woodpecker in the dense Caatinga of Mãe-da-lua reserve, or of Fazenda Canaã.

The species was found by Reiser in Piauí (Reiser 1923, p. 128). See also Hellmayr 1929, p. 412.