A small barbet of forest and forest edge that appears large when compared to other tinkerbirds. The black upperparts contrast with the yellow wing feather edging, yellowish underparts, and yellowish moustache. When seen at the right angle, shows a bright red rump. While it is often found high in the trees, it sometimes descends lower, even singing near ground level in thick vegetation. This species can be confused with Yellow-throated and Yellow-rumped Tinkerbirds, but note Red-rumped Tinkerbird’s song, its more uniformly yellowish underparts, and, when visible, its bright red rump. Song is a long, continuous series of “po, po, po” notes given at a rate of about two per second. Also gives other shorter, faster trills reminiscent of other tinkerbirds.