The Iago Sparrow lives in towns and dry savannas of the Cape Verde archipelago. It is accustomed to people and may visit café terraces.
Males have a broad orange-red eyebrow and a matching patch on the shoulder, a dark gray cap, and a rufous rump. Females have a cream eyebrow edged in black and a rufous rump.
Adults mainly eat seeds and may use human food waste in towns. Some young birds move away after the breeding season.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.