Shelley's Oliveback is a compact finch with a short tail and thick bluish bill. It lives in highland forests, forest edges, and farmland in parts of West-Central Africa.
It has a short, stubby tail and a thick bluish bill. The head is black, the back and wings yellow-green, and the underside gray; males also have a yellow-green chest.
It uses forest, forest edge, and farmland, feeding acrobatically among small branches, ferns, and other understory vegetation. It is seen alone or in small groups.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.