This small bird has a large head, short bill, and short tail. It lives in New Zealand forest and scrub and has five subspecies restricted to different islands or island groups.
Plumage varies among subspecies. North Island males are strongly black-and-white, some southern island populations have yellow breasts, and the Snares Island subspecies is entirely black.
It lives in forest and scrub. During the breeding season, a pair may raise up to three broods between September and January.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.