This toucan is described from the canopy of Amazonian forest. Narrow black feathers on the crown and nape curl into a distinctive crest, and a red band crosses the middle of the belly. The account gives a range in Peru, Brazil, and Bolivia.
Narrow black feathers on the crown and nape form curls, the yellow throat is dusky-spotted, and a red band crosses the center of the belly.
The Peruvian account places it in the canopy of Amazonian forest south of the Amazon and around the lower Marañón, with records extending to the Andean foothills.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.