Tiny woodpecker, quite distinct from most other piculets, although hybrids with White-edged and White-barred Piculets are frequent where ranges overlap. Chestnut plumage with white spots diagnostic. Males have a red forehead. Mostly found in dry and open woodland with dense shrubs (caatinga), but expanding east into the Cerrado and Amazonia regions, where it is also found in mangroves and low intensity agricultural habitats. Song is a very fast descending trill.