This sparrow lives in woodland and scrub in Colombia and Venezuela. Its black head and yellow bill are conspicuous, and it searches near the ground for seeds, fruit, and insects.
It has a black head, a long yellow bill, and gray upperparts. Many birds show a green patch on the back, but the northern Colombian subspecies is described with a gray back and no green patch.
It feeds on seeds, fruit, and insects at or near the ground. It forages alone or in pairs and uses secondary growth and scrub.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.