This sunbird is seen from forest to savanna. Males show iridescent green plumage with maroon and blue breast bands; females are paler.
The breeding male is iridescent green above, with a dark belly and maroon and bluish bands across the breast. The female has pale yellow underparts with faint streaking.
It occurs in forests, woodlands, scrub, and savanna. Its calls include high-pitched trills and irregular series of notes.
It feeds mainly on nectar, visiting mistletoes, aloes and eucalypts, and also eats small arthropods such as termites, flies and spiders.
The female builds a pear-shaped nest with a side entrance, binding leaf stalks and lichens with spider web and lining it with plant down and feathers.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.