This barbet lives in open woodland, wooded grassland, and scrub in East Africa. It has a sturdy body, large head, and strong bill.
Its upperparts are spotted and streaked in red, yellow, white, and black, with yellow underparts and a red or orange bill. The male has a black cap and throat patch.
It eats fruit and seeds, as well as spiders, insects, and insect larvae.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.