The rufous-breasted piculet is a species of bird in subfamily Picumninae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
Region
Western Amazon Basin
Typical Environment
Occurs in lowland tropical forests of Bolivia, Brazil (western Amazonia), Colombia (southeast), Ecuador, and Peru. Prefers river-edge forests, floodplain (várzea) woodlands, secondary growth, and extensive bamboo (especially Guadua) thickets. Often found along forest edges, clearings, and tangled scrub where thin branchlets are abundant. It keeps to lower and mid-levels of the understory, typically within a few meters of the ground.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1200 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
A tiny woodpecker of the western Amazon, the rufous-breasted piculet often forages quietly in vine tangles and bamboo, making it easy to overlook. Unlike larger woodpeckers, piculets have very short tails and do not use them as props when climbing. They frequently join mixed-species flocks, gleaning small insects from thin twigs and stems. Its soft, high-pitched trills and light tapping are more often heard than seen.
Temperament
active but fairly skulking
Flight Pattern
short, rapid wingbeats with brief undulations
Social Behavior
Usually seen singly or in pairs, often accompanying mixed-species understory flocks. Nests in small cavities excavated in soft wood or bamboo culms; both sexes likely share excavation and incubation duties. Territorial calling and soft tapping are used to maintain contact in dense vegetation.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Voice is a thin, high-pitched trill or series of very fast, squeaky notes, often delivered from within cover. Also gives light tapping or brief rattles rather than the powerful drumming of larger woodpeckers.
Plumage
Upperparts olive-brown with fine pale speckling; underparts rich rufous to cinnamon on the breast and belly, sometimes with faint barring on the flanks. Throat paler buffy to whitish, contrasting with the rufous breast. Crown finely spotted; face lightly speckled.
Diet
Feeds primarily on small arthropods such as ants, beetles, and their larvae, as well as tiny spiders and other invertebrates. Gleans prey from thin twigs, vine stems, and bamboo nodes, pecking delicately at bark scales and leaf petioles. Often hangs acrobatically while probing crevices and dead stems.
Preferred Environment
Forages in dense river-edge thickets, secondary growth, and bamboo stands, usually in the lower understory. Frequently exploits vine tangles and sapling clusters where small-diameter substrates are abundant.
