This species was named in honour of the French explorer, collector and ornithologist, François Le Vaillant.

[2] Levaillant's woodpecker is found in the three Maghreb countries Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia in northwest Africa.

The rump is chrome yellow and the outer webs of the primaries are barred black and white.

v. sharpei, both sexes lack the black on the lores and around the eye shown by most forms of the green woodpecker.

This woodpecker's insect food is captured by a rapid outward flick of the long tongue, and gummed to its tip by sticky saliva.