Adult Male:
- Forehead, crown, and nape are bright red, with white bases to the feathers.
- Lower cheek is red.
- Underbreast, abdomen, flanks, and axillaries are white.
- Chin, throat, and foreneck are black with white spots.
- Large white patches at the base of the wing feathers, with white tips on the flight feathers.
- A white band extends across the rump.
- The remainder of the plumage is black.
Female:
- Forehead and anterior crown are black, without red patches on the cheeks.
- Eyes are white or pale yellow.
- Bill is lead-gray, with a faint black culmen.
- Legs are gray.
Measurements:
- Wing: 197 – 224 mm
- Tail: 136 – 151 mm
- Tarsus: 33 – 34 mm
- Bill: 44 – 50 mm
Distribution:
This large woodpecker species is distributed in Myanmar, Thailand, and Indochina. In Vietnam, it has been recorded in Lâm Đồng, Ninh Thuận, Thủ Dầu Một, Tây Ninh, and Đồng Nai provinces.