This sparrow appears in wooded country, farmland, and gardens. It searches for food on the ground and may flock with other seed-eating birds.
The head and face are gray, the underparts pale gray, and the wings reddish brown. A white shoulder spot and pale patch beneath the tail stand out. The bill turns black during breeding; the sexes look alike.
It eats seeds, fruit, nectar, and insects, doing most of its foraging on the ground. It may join flocks of other seed-eating birds.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.