Males have chestnut upperparts and wings, a black head, and a white ear patch. The species mainly eats grass seeds and also takes insects in the breeding season. A study in northern South Africa found nests in open areas with much bare ground.
The male has chestnut upperparts and wings, a pale gray rump, a black head, white ear patch, and black underparts. The female is mottled buff-brown, with black feathers on the lower breast and belly.
It mainly eats grass seeds and also takes insects during breeding. In a three-year Limpopo agricultural study, nests were mostly in open areas with substantial bare ground, and nestling food was mainly invertebrates and seeds.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.