This large honeyeater inhabits high-elevation forests of New Guinea's central ranges. White scaling on the back and a stripe across the black head are useful field marks.
It has a gray body, white-edged scaling on the back, olive wings, and a buff area at the base of the tail. A white stripe runs from the bill across the black head, and a pale blue ring surrounds the eye.
This large honeyeater occurs in New Guinea's montane cloud forest. Where its elevational range broadly overlaps that of Yellow-browed Honeyeater, hybrid and intermediate birds have been recorded.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.