The spot-breasted woodpecker is found in a wide variety of habitats such as rainforests, mangroves and swamp edges among others throughout Amazonia, the Guianas, Venezuela and Northern Colombia.
The Spot-breasted Woodpecker may be seen alone, in pairs or in family groups. They often feed at mid-level or lower, or sometimes on the ground when searching for ants among the scattered trees.
They probe into the soil and the leaf litter for anthills. When feeding in trees, they glean, probe and peck for invertebrates into the bark crevices.