A sunbird of forests and secondary growth on Java. Males are red, while females are duller grey-olive; both feed on nectar and small arthropods.
The male is red, with a glossy dark-purple crown and cheek stripe and a yellow rump. The female is duller grey-olive.
It takes nectar and small arthropods. The accounts place it in forest and secondary growth, with records up to about 1,600 m.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.