This small bird has a greenish cap and face and a yellow throat and breast. It occurs in woodland across central, eastern and southern Africa and around Gabon; in southern Africa, pairs and small groups use woodland canopies.
It is about 11–12 cm long. The greenish cap and face merge into a grey back; the throat and breast are bright yellow, and the flight feathers are brownish grey. A southern African atlas notes that its plumage is not strongly marked, which can make identification difficult.
In the southern African atlas region, it uses woodland canopies, especially miombo and the Eastern Zimbabwe Highlands, as well as some Baikiaea, alluvial Acacia and riparian woodland. There it is usually seen in pairs or small groups of 3–8 and joins mixed feeding groups in the nonbreeding season. Southern African accounts describe a prolonged spring–summer breeding season. Egg-laying was recorded from August to February in Zimbabwe, peaking in September–November; South African records include nests with eggs in October and hatchlings in November. Communal breeding has also been reported.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.