A sunbird of dry scrub and open woodland in East Africa. The male is mostly black with green and scarlet marks, while the female is browner.
The male is mostly black, with a metallic green cap and moustachial streaks, black throat and scarlet chest; violet rump and wing patches show in good light. The female is brown with mottled, streaked underparts.
The guide places it in semi-arid bush and woodland at about 50–1,200 m. Oiseaux.net reports daytime activity and an omnivorous diet including fruit and nectar.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.