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Syrian Woodpeckers have an almost all black and white plumage, which is dimorphic, i.e. males and females are slightly different. Male Syrian Woodpeckers have an almost all-black back, from forehead to tail, except the nape of the neck, where they have a prominent crimson spot. The frons, sides of the head (apart from a black fringe around the ear coverts, from the black base of the bill to the neck), the chin and much of the chest and belly are off-white to creamy. Only the vent and undertail coverts are pale-red. Apart from a broad white wing bar and prominent white spots on the flight feathers that give the species its name, the wings are black. The tail is also black, with several large white spots on the outer edges. Females are almost identical with males; however, they lack the crimson spot at the nape of the neck, which is black instead. The irises of both sexes are brown. The straight, pointy bill is dark-grey. Legs and feet are grey. Like all other treecreepers and related species they have long toes, with two pointing forward and two backward.

The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org .

The global distribution of the Syrian Woodpecker is available HERE .

Over the past decades the range of the Syrian Woodpecker has expanded in a north-easterly direction. By 2025, their range extends from Iran and the eastern Mediterranean coastline, via Asia Minor to eastern Europe, southward of the Baltic states and from Austria to Georgia.

In Europe Syrian Woodpeckers are found basically in South-east Europe and eastern Europe. Their range stretches from Greece in the South, northwards to Austria, the Czech Republic and Poland, and from there eastward into Belarus, Ukraine and far south-western Russia.

Syrian Woodpeckers prefer open, often cultivated country. Since they will also accept manmade habitats, such as e.g. vineyards, gardens, or parks, their range is currently expanding.

A. Sarok reports finding a Syrian Woodpecker in Vojvodina, Serbia, in the timeframe 2010-2024.

I. Chisnall spotted a Syrian Woodpecker in the township of Corbu, Romania, in June 2019.