EBird describes the bird as "A large woodpecker of lowland forest in the southern Philippines.

Overall sooty-gray with a fairly long pointed tail, fine speckling on the head, pale eyes, and an ivory-colored bill.

[3] The Southern sooty differs from the Northern sooty with its light ashy gray plumage, its white ivory colored bill, the male's bright red mark on its cheek, larger white spots on its neck and face and slightly smaller size in comparison to its Northern counterpart's dark gray plumage and male's burgundy facial markings over its entire face.

[5][6] Its natural habitats are at tropical moist lowland primary forest up to 1,000 meters above sea level.

Its main threat is habitat destruction through both legal and Illegal logging, conversion into farmlands through Slash-and-burn, charcoal burning, and mining.

Conservation actions proposed are surveys to assess the total population size and locate strongholds.