This oriole has a golden-yellow back and underparts set off by a black face and wings. It occurs in parts of Central America and northern South America, where it searches bark and epiphytes for food and also takes fruit and nectar.
The back and underparts are bright yellow, while the face, part of the throat, wings, and tail are black. The female's yellow may have a greenish tinge.
It uses scrub, open woodland, cloud forest, and banana plantations. Birds occur in pairs or small flocks, probe bark and epiphytes for insects, and also eat fruit, nectar, and seeds.
The adult bill is mostly black, with the basal third of the lower mandible blue-grey. The legs and feet are grey, with black claws.
Juveniles are greener than adults and lack the black throat bib. They have a bright yellow eyebrow and olive lores between the eye and bill.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.