This bird inhabits woodlands of central and southern Africa. In the nominate subspecies, the male is black with a white crown and wing patch; small groups search for insects beneath large trees.
The male of the nominate subspecies is black, with a snow-white cap extending to the nape and a large white wing patch. The female has a black crown and a smaller white area on the throat.
It favors broad-leaved woodland with sparse undergrowth, especially miombo and mopane. Small groups feed beneath large trees, searching around trunks and branches for ants, beetles, and other insects.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.