Its bill is deep red and black with a vertical white line at its base and grooves on the maxilla.

Their plumage is generally green, with a bluish nape, a white throat, and wide chestnut tips on the tail feathers.

[8] The chestnut-tipped toucanet is found along the east slope of the Andes from extreme southern Colombia through Ecuador and Peru into western Bolivia as far as Cochabamba Department.

[8] The chestnut-tipped toucanet forages mostly in the canopy, typically in pairs but occasionally in groups as large as 10 individuals.

The chestnut-tipped toucanet's song is an "often long series of grrrrump to kwuk notes", which pairs often sing together.