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
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