Handsome chunky gray-brown finch with a massive dark bill, dark-brown cap, and blackish face mask extending to the throat. Female has a paler forehead and crown. Juvenile is streaky with a more diffuse mask. Ecology is poorly known but presumed to be similar to that of Arabian Grosbeak, with pairs and small groups frequenting thorn-scrub and riverine vegetation up to 1400m in the northern Somali mountains, where it is a scarce endemic. Vocalizations largely unknown, but presumed to be similar to those of Arabian Grosbeak. In addition to range, other “golden-winged” grosbeaks differ from Somali in having pale ear-patches.