This bunting was formerly included in the Cinnamon-breasted Bunting. This entry follows the species-level account of Emberiza goslingi and describes that taxon alone.
Adult males have a boldly black-and-white striped head, a cinnamon back marked dark brown, and cinnamon underparts. Females are similar but paler, with less reddish upperparts.
It uses rocky and eroded ground and croplands, favoring patches of bare soil. It forages on the ground for seeds and insects.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.