The male is a small toucanet with a black head and neck and a golden ear tuft. It feeds on fruit in the canopy of humid forest, alone or in pairs.
Males have a black head, neck, and belly with a golden tuft behind the cheek. Females have a brown crown and back and rusty coloring from the chin to the belly.
It searches for fruit and seeds in the middle and upper canopy, alone or in pairs. It may also join mixed-species flocks.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.