The spotty bar over the greater wing coverts, narrow edging to the remiges, and tips to the tertials are yellow.

Both sexes have dark maroon irides, greyish legs, and a broadly black-tipped grey bill.

In the north-west Amazon Basin, the eastern range limit is central Roraima state Brazil, the south flowing Branco River.

The gilded barbet's range is on the eastern side of the Caribbean north-flowing Orinoco River drainage, but avoids the lower-half riverine strip by 150 km; the range occurs on the upper-half of the Orinoco River extending south into the eastern border area of Colombia.

A small range extension goes southeastwards into central Bolivia, which are also tributary areas to the Madeira River.