This tanager inhabits humid lowland forests of Central America. Males are mostly yellow and black, females are brown with a pale throat, and the birds are often seen in pairs, families, or mixed-species flocks.
Males are mostly yellow, with black on the head, wings, and tail. Females are brown with a pale throat and a muted version of the male pattern. Males in Costa Rica's Pacific lowlands also show a black rump and undertail coverts.
It is noisy and active, usually seen in pairs or families and in mixed-species flocks. Its diet includes arthropods and occasional fruit. One account records a nest in May with two eggs.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.