The Western Nicator has golden spots on its wings and moves through dense forest cover. This account focuses on records from Upper Guinea rather than presenting a complete range for the species.
In the Upper Guinea account, the upperparts are olive, with golden spots on the wing coverts and secondaries. The tail tips are yellow; the underparts are pale grey, with yellow undertail coverts.
It moves through dense tangles and may be noticed by its loud, explosive call before it is seen. The article records it in forest and forest–savanna mosaic habitats.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.