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 is unlikely to be confused with any other piculet because it is the only species in its range with dark underparts. The varzea piculet is endemic to Brazil in tropical South America where it has a rather limited range. It lives along the Amazon River in a wildlife corridor, in the forest called "várzea forest", a freshwater swamp forest. It ranges from the confluence of the Amazon River with the Rio Negro in a , variable-width corridor downstream for about to the confluence of the Trombetas River from the north. The confluence of the Tapajós River joins here from the