Plain-breasted piculet endemic to South America on the eastern side of the Andes where it lives in the western part of the Amazon basin. The species is present in southern Colombia, eastern Ecuador, Peru and western Brazil at altitudes of up to . It is found in open parts of humid lowland forests, flooded forests, riverside corridors, swamps, thickets and groves, and logged areas with secondary growth and wooded pastures. It often occurs in areas of young "Cecropia" and "Mimosa" trees. The plain-breasted piculet is usually seen by itself or in pairs, but it will occasionally joins small flocks of birds of
Speckle-chested piculet markings. The flanks and the rest of the underparts are barred in black and white. The tail is blackish apart from the central two feathers and a bar near the tip which are white. The front of the crown in males is red while in females it is black. The speckle-chested piculet is endemic to Peru. It has a rather limited range, being only known from the central Huallaga Valley and certain parts of the Utcubamba Valley in the foothills of the eastern Andes in Peru. Its altitudinal range is between about . Its main habitat is primary moist lowland