This tiny woodpecker is about 8.5–9 cm long. In Bolivia it occurs in dry to semi-humid forest and woodland, moving acrobatically among branches as it forages.
The Bolivia account says subspecies pilcomayensis has even barring below, while the form in Tarija, subspecies thamnophiloides, is only sparsely marked below.
It is often alone or in pairs and sometimes joins mixed-species flocks. It forages acrobatically in the upper understory and middle levels, and also higher in woodland.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.