[3] According to the International Ornithological Committee (IOC) and BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World, the streaked tuftedcheek has these eight subspecies:[3][2] HBW spells the species' specific epithet boissonneauii (without a "t"), as that is how its namesake Auguste Boissonneau spelled his name.

Though some authors had treated the three of them as separate species in the early twentieth century, major taxonomic systems did not begin doing so until the mid-2010s.

The sexes' plumages are alike but the female of most subspecies has a significantly longer bill than the male.

The species' most distinctive feature is its namesake tuft of almost pure white feathers that flare on the side of the neck.

Adults of the nominate subspecies P. b. boissonneautii have a buff-whitish supercilium, blackish brown lores and ear coverts, and white cheeks.

Their throat is white, their breast a pale golden buff with dark brown feather edges that give a scaly look, and the rest of their underparts unmarked rufous that darkens to the undertail coverts.

[7] The streaked tuftedcheek's diet has not been studied in detail but is known to include arthropods and small amphibians.

It forages singly or in pairs and frequently joins mixed species feeding flocks.