It has a long, down-curved black bill and feeds mainly on nectar. It also takes insects when flowers are scarce.
Its long, slender black bill curves downward. The back is dark brown and the underside is paler, with yellow-olive edges on the flight feathers.
It feeds mainly on nectar. When flowers are scarce it also eats insects, sometimes catching them on the wing. Small flocks gather in heavily flowering vegetation, and it is most active early in the day.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.