The rufous-breasted piculet (Picumnus rufiventris) is a species of bird in subfamily Picumninae of the woodpecker family Picidae.

[2] The rufous-breasted piculet has three subspecies, the nominate P. r. rufiventris, P. r. grandis (Carriker, 1930), and P. r. brunneifrons (Stager, 1968).

Adult males of the nominate subspecies have a black crown with wide red tips on most of the feathers and small white to buff spots on its sides and rear border.

It is more yellowish above and paler below; its black cap is smaller with more red to the rear and white spots on the front.

[3] The nominate subspecies of rufous-breasted piculet is found in southeastern Colombia, eastern Ecuador, western Brazil, and northern Peru.

It clings to bamboo stalks and small branches, sometimes upside down, and pecks and probes the bark.

[3] The rufous-breasted piculet breeds between January and March in Bolivia and Peru and apparently later in Ecuador.