Varzea piculet south. Its typical habitat is dense forest with vines and creepers on the Amazon floodplain and adjoining swampy forested areas, wooded islands and riverine woodland. It is a sedentary and non-migratory species. The varzea piculet is presumed to feed on small invertebrates like other members of the genus, but its diet has not been studied. Its breeding habits are also poorly known, but the breeding season may be from June to December, and young birds have been recorded in September. The varzea piculet is a poorly known bird with a restricted range in the Brazilian rainforest. It is threatened by
White-barred piculet with several other species of piculet where their ranges overlap; these include the varzea ("P. varzeae") along the Amazon River, the ochre-collared ("P. temminckii") in southeastern Brazil, the ocellated ("P. dorbignyanus") in Bolivia, and the white-wedged piculet ("P. albosquamatus"), also in Bolivia. The white-barred piculet is between long. The sexes differ in that the male has red streaks or a solid red patch on the fore-crown, while the female lacks this. The rest of the crown is black, speckled with white. The upper parts of the body are tan or olive-brown, faintly barred with white, and the main flight feathers