A large tit of the Albertine Rift's montane forests. Males have a black head and central belly, with a conspicuous white band across the lower breast and flanks.
About 14 cm long. Males have a black head extending onto the upper belly, grey-brown back, black wings edged in white, and a black tail; the lower breast and flanks are white. Females are browner on the head, breast, and upper belly.
It lives in montane forest with bamboo and dense undergrowth, searching actively through foliage in the upper forest. It is often seen in groups and sometimes in mixed flocks. Its diet is poorly known; small invertebrates are suggested, not firmly established.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.