Adults have a heavy decurved red or orange bill tipped with green or yellow.

Adults of the nominate subspecies have a dark bluish black crown and shaggy crest with a purple gloss.

Their tail is dark chestnut with an olive green gloss on the upperside of the central feathers.

[5] Adults of subspecies N. p. lepidophanes are similar, but with a clay-colored breast and belly rather than buffy to light gray.

The nominate subspecies is found in eastern Peru and western Brazil north of the Amazon River.

Subspecies N. p. lepidophanes is also found in eastern Peru and western Brazil but south of the Amazon.

The species inhabits moist lowland evergreen forest, usually that on somewhat hilly terrain with well-drained soil at elevations up to 700 m (2,300 ft).

It follows army ant swarms and peccaries to catch prey fleeing from them, and monkey troops to feed on fallen fruits.