A slender finch with a short beak and a forked tail. Its primary plumage is an earthy brown with a streaked back. There is a marked difference during the breeding season between the male, which sports a vibrant carmine-red forehead and breast, and the female, which lacks these reddish tones, appearing more understated and densely streaked.

In Extremadura, it is a common, sedentary species. It prefers open, clear spaces such as arable land, degraded scrubland, field margins, and olive groves.

A gregarious bird that avoids dense woodland, it seeks out areas of low vegetation to feed on seeds.