Polytypic. Length 9". A boldly patterned black-and-white woodpecker with a white patch at the base of the primaries, a white rump, black chest, streaked black lower breast, and white belly.

The red-bellied woodpecker is the familiar zebra-backed ... All red-bellied woodpeckers show a black-and-white barred back, white uppertail coverts, grayish white underparts, black chevrons ...

the 'lesser spotted woodpecker'. Its larger, stronger bill, the strong black line leading onto the chest, and the white shoulder patch, amongst other features, all reveal it to be a great spot.