The heart-spotted woodpecker is often detected by its noisy habit of making frequent bird calls. It can be identified by the unusually short and thick body with a large wedge-shaped head. The under parts are pale grey in colour, while there is a noticeably white throat. There is a crown in front of its head, which is white for females and black for males.
These birds are fond of bamboos and plantation shade trees. They make holes in tree branches and make nests in it. The nests can also be seen in fence posts. A female lays typically two to three eggs which are plain white in colour. They are seen creeping along tree branches and can perch from branch to branch. They search for insects in tree barks. Sometimes they show a habit of pecking certain seeds to eat the insect larvae found in them.
In India, these birds are mainly seen in the Himalayan forests and the Western Ghats. They are also very common in other parts of Asia.