It is a resident bird with a wide distribution across tropical southern Asia from India east to Indonesia and Timor with several populations recognized as subspecies some of which are sometimes treated as full species.

This species flowerpecker is about 10 cm long and has a dark stout beak and short tail.

They are dark grey brown above and dull greyish with diffuse streaking on light buffy underparts.

These include atjehense of Sumatra, finschi of western Java, tinctum of Sumba, Flores and Alor, obsoletum from Timor, striatissimum, aeruginosum and affine from the Philippines.

[3] Unlike the pale-billed flowerpecker, it does not swallow the berries of Loranthus (some species now in genus Dendrophthoe) and instead wipes the seeds on a branch and feeds on the epicarp.

It is a pendant purse like structure made of cobwebs[8] or fine plant fibres and is located from 3 to 15 metres high suspended from a thin horizontal branch.