[2] The adult has a long, loose crest at the back of its head, which is dark brown to black and glossy green.

[3][4] The best distinguishing feature is suggested by its name: the buff-spotted neck, breast and belly that are used as a diagnostic tool to identify the species.

Otherwise, the upperparts are uniformly dark, with turquoise green spots in front of and behind the eyes (smaller in females); a similar colored streak crosses the face in line with the bill.

[5] Spot-breasted ibises are omnivorous and feed on some plant material, along with various small crustaceans and insects.

[2] Invertebrates consumed include grubs, worms, aquatic snails, larvae and a variety of beetles.

Like other ibises, the spot-breasted ibis probes through the mud in swamps and along banks of forest rivers and streams.

[6] The nests of the spot-breasted ibis are usually found about on tree branches one to six meters above ground or water.

[6] As with other ibises, chicks are semi-altricial; they are born with blackish-brown down that is replaced at six days by thicker white down.

[6] Like many other birds in the Guineo-Congolian region the spot-breasted ibis is subject to habitat loss and fragmentation.