These resident woodpeckers inhabit wooded habitats including dry or coastal forests, edges of swamps, and woody residential areas. While they are found in all forest types in their range, they are especially common in open forests. West Indian Woodpeckers forage by themselves or in pairs throughout the levels of the forest. They gather arthropods and spiders by pecking on trees, probing in bromeliad leaves, or gleaning vegetation, and also frequently feed on fruit. Several subspecies of this woodpecker exist in the various islands of the West Indies.