Antillean piculet throat and belly is off-white with streaks and spots. The female is similar to the male, except larger and lacking the red spot on the forecrown. The plumage of juvenile birds is similar to the adults but duller. Unlike the true woodpeckers (Picinae), they do not drum on trees to advertise their ownership of a territory, instead calling in a loud and rapid whistle. This call, rendered as "kuk-kikikikekukuk", is also used as a contact call between pairs. The Antillean piculet feeds on insects, with ants and beetles forming a large part of the diet. They also consume a lot
Black-dotted piculet Sucre, a few have finely barred chests. Rare individuals with scaly throats and pale buffy (rather than yellow) underparts resemble the scaled piculet, which can be distinguished by its scaly lower underparts. The crown is black with narrow scarlet streaks on the forepart and conspicuous white dots on the rear part, or throughout in some females. The upperparts are light olive-brown, slightly yellowish, with dusky spots on the shoulders and back. The song is "2 to several extremely high, thin notes, each slightly lower than the preceding, "tseeet, tseeet, tsee," etc." Possibly it is also used as a contact call.