The juvenile has a black crown with white and red spotting, an orange nape, and dark iris.

[2] This woodpecker is quite vocal, emitting a range of sounds including yapping, squeaking, rolling and nasal calls.

Its range extends through many of Hispaniola's biomes: wet, dry, broadleaf, and coniferous forests, but also occurs in plantations, cactus scrub, mangrove areas, swamps, grasslands, palm groves, wooded agricultural areas, and urban parks.

[2] This woodpecker forages in small noisy groups; the diet is varied and includes insects, spiders, scorpions, lizards, fruit, seeds, grain and sap.

It can catch flying insects in flight, and larger food items are bashed on an "anvil" to break them up.

[2] Hispaniolan woodpeckers are omnivorous, and primarily eat insects, berries, fruits, and plants.

[3][4] They are known to be a crop pest in the Dominican Republic for eating from cacao plants and other fruit producing trees.

They are known not to eat the seeds in the cacao plant, but the holes they create can lead to insect damage.

[3] Evidence of differing bill size shows dimorphism between the sexes in relation to foraging practices.

As stated already, it is possible that the physical mechanics that males and females present in foraging, could connect to diverging characteristics in their physiological structure.