This small bird lives in the Lesotho highlands and neighboring highlands of South Africa. It searches high-altitude grassland and shrubland for seeds, buds, and insects.
The male has brown-streaked olive-green head and neck, an olive-brown back, and yellow-green throat and breast. The female is browner.
It occurs at about 2,000–3,000 m in heathland, shrubland, grassland, and cropland. Pairs or small flocks forage on the ground and in shrubs for seeds, buds, and insects.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.