The bill is red, and there is a black patch on the forehead and lores which is well developed in adults and less so in younger birds.

[2] Adult males can be told apart by the black superciliary stripe that runs above the eye and over the head, towards the nape.

[6] The complex includes numerous forms which have had a confusing history, for instance oenochlamys has been treated as a subspecies of frontalis in the past.

[14] They also live within secondary forest and make use of the shade trees in south Indian coffee plantations.

[4] Like other nuthatches they have strongly curved claws[15] that allow them to climb down vertical tree trunks, unlike species such as woodpeckers that only work their way upwards.

It is an active feeder on insects and spiders, gleaned on the bark of the trunk and branches, and may be found in mixed feeding flocks with other passerines.

[23] Nests are in tree holes or crevices, lined with moss, fur and feathers, or grass.

The Lotha Naga people will hunt many birds for food but the velvet-fronted nuthatch is generally proscribed due to the belief that killing them would bring misfortune to the hunter.