A tiny, short-tailed songbird with a thick bill. Has deep olive upperparts, dark wings, and clean white underparts with a conspicuous yellow wash on the flanks. Juvenile shows a pale-based bill and duller flanks. Singles and pairs can be found in a wide variety of habitats in the lowlands and foothills, including forest, forest edge, and cultivated areas. Restricted to Sangihe, Sulawesi, and nearby satellite islands. Yellow flanks are diagnostic, lacking in all other local flowerpeckers. Calls include a wet “swit” note and an extremely high-pitched, monotonous “tzit-tzit-tzit…”.