It is sometimes considered a subspecies of the common flameback.It is found in moist lowland forests including primary, secondary and even plantations and clearings provided there are still standing trees.

EBird describes the bird as "A large woodpecker of wooded habitats on Palawan and neighboring islands.

Whitish below with dark scaling and golden-olive above with a diffuse reddish mark on the back and a finely spotted, pale cream-colored throat.

Similar to Red-headed Flameback, but Spot-throated has black-and-white stripes on the head and a dark rather than pale yellow bill.

[4][5] The flameback occurs in forests and open woodlands, including coconut plantations, indicating some tolerance for human-altered habitat, but the species is considered uncommon.