This wheatear lives in rocky mountains and uplands of East Africa. Adult males of the nominate subspecies have two reported forms of belly color.
An adult male has dark brown upperparts, a black face and throat, and an orange-buff rump and base of the tail. Males of the nominate subspecies have either a white, mottled belly or an entirely black one.
It occurs on rocky mountain slopes, rough uplands, and shrub-covered ground. It catches insects on the ground after a short pursuit or in flight from a lookout perch.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.