little gray woodpecker Dendropicos elachus

Small, pale woodpecker of the Sahel. The back is pale gray with white barring, the rump is red, the underparts are heavily spotted and barred, and there is a gray mark on the cheek. Males have a red mark on the back of their head. Generally local and uncommon in dry thorn savanna and areas of semi-desert that support trees and bushes. The calls are high-pitched trills and “krit” notes, many quite similar to calls of Cardinal Woodpecker, but higher-pitched. Similar in size and shape to Brown-backed Woodpecker, but distinguished by the paler, barred back and the red rump. Also similar to Cardinal Woodpecker, but paler overall, with a dusky cheek.