Rufous piculet synchrony. The diet consists of ants, their larvae, termites, small beetles, spiders and other small invertebrates. In Borneo the breeding season is in February while in Malaysia, nestlings have been found in May and June. Sometimes the nest is in a hole in a dead branch, and at other times it may be in bamboo. The rufous piculet is a fairly common or common bird and has a very extensive range, estimated to be nearly . Its range extends from sea level up to about . No particular threats to this bird are known and the population is believed to
Varzea piculet with white speckles. The upper parts of the body are chocolate-brown, sometimes with an olive tinge, and occasionally slightly barred with black. The tail is deep brown apart from the central pair of feathers, which are whitish, and the two outer pairs of feathers which have a whitish bar near the tip. The underparts are some shade of brown with light barring and streaking in darker brown and white. The iris is brown, the beak is black and the legs and feet are bluish-grey. The juvenile is similar to the female but the underparts are more heavily barred. This piculet