This sandgrouse lives in dry grassland and scrub in East Africa. Males have black markings across the face and throat, while females are plainer. It feeds on plant seeds on the ground.
Males have a black mark across the face and onto the throat, with white stripes above the eye. A black band separates the brown neck from the white belly. Females lack the facial mark and white eye stripes.
It lives in dry savanna, thorn scrub, and semi-desert scrub, and feeds on plant seeds on the ground by day.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.