This barbet ranges from southwestern Ecuador to southwestern Colombia. It occurs in humid lowland and hill forest, forest edges, and tree-rich farmland.
Males have an orange forehead and throat, black cheek and breast markings, and a pale underside. Females have a paler forehead and different markings on the face and throat.
Pairs and mixed flocks feed on fruit, berries, insects, and spiders. The summary reports nesting in tree cavities and a July–September breeding period.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.