The largest and heaviest leafbird, this bird has a powerful, hooked bill that it uses to pierce mid-sized fruits with a tough covering. The flesh is then dislodged and squeezed out with the bill. Small fruits and pieces of large fruit are eaten directly. On occasion when this bird visits flowers like the tubular ones of climbing vines, it punctures them at the bottom for nectar. It forages alone, in pairs, or joins mixed-species flocks of insect-eating birds. If fruit is scarce, individual males may defend their food source against other birds, even its own species. Males can be differentiated from females by their distinct black facial mask.

This bird’s song is a sequence of fluid warbles, interspersed with chattering and much mimicry of other bird calls, including that of the Asian fairy-bluebird. Its singing talent has drawn the attention of trappers and it is now one of the most numerous species in Indonesian bird markets, as an unfortunate substitute for more heavily-traded species. Market prices have risen almost ten-fold in response to demand, when up till the late 1990s, it wasn’t heavily targeted for the cagebird trade. The species has become very rare throughout Indonesia and increasingly so in Peninsular Malaysia as well. A small population persists in Singapore.