This honeyeater has fine dark streaks across its brownish plumage and a curved black bill. The sexes look alike in plumage, but males are larger in the Lore Lindu study.
The grey to tawny-olive head and neck have fine dark streaks, and the brownish-grey upperparts are darkly streaked and mottled. The breast is yellowish grey, with paler scaling on the darker olive-brown underparts. Its bill is glossy black and curved. Males and females share the same plumage, while males were larger in the Lore Lindu study.
It inhabits moist montane forest at about 1,300–2,500 m and forages in lower forest levels as well as in flowering tree crowns. Nectar is listed as a key food type, although detailed feeding observations are limited.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.