[2] The bird is named after the German ornithologist Anton Reichenow.

The speckles continue forward through the throat, the main point of distinction from both the Nubian and Bennett's woodpeckers.

[4] It lives in open woodland in Mozambique[5] between Beira and the lower Zambezi river,[4] in central and southeastern Malawi, and in eastern and central Tanzania[5] north to Handeni as well as in the North Pare Mountains and around Mount Kilimanjaro.

[5] At least in Mozambique, it prefers broad-leaved woodland with an understory of tall grass, and it is probably rather common.

[2] On the other hand, some authorities lump it with Bennett's woodpecker,[6] Zimmerman et al. because "it is said to intergrade freely with nominate bennettii in Malawi"[2] Here it is considered a separate species following the Handbook of the Birds of the World[7] and other authorities.