This starling lives in East African montane forest. Males have a blue-black sheen, while females are greyer. It eats fruit.
The male has a blue-black sheen on the head, nape, chin, throat and breast, with purple sheen elsewhere. Females are dark grey with some blue sheen; juveniles resemble females.
It uses canopy and mid-levels of montane forest at about 1,500–2,600 m, feeding on fruit in pairs or small groups.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.