diff --git a/bfd/ChangeLog b/bfd/ChangeLog
index 36d83e9554..8e0269c9a9 100644
--- a/bfd/ChangeLog
+++ b/bfd/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,8 @@
+2016-12-20  Palmer Dabbelt  <palmer@dabbelt.com>
+
+	* elfnn-riscv.c (_bfd_riscv_elf_merge_private_bfd_data): Improve
+	error message when linking elf32 and elf64.
+
 2016-12-19  Christian Groessler  <chris@groessler.org>
 
 	* elf32-arm.c (elf32_arm_popcount): Rename from 'popcount'.  Make
diff --git a/bfd/elfnn-riscv.c b/bfd/elfnn-riscv.c
index 4f11cf6516..1ab97b9b72 100644
--- a/bfd/elfnn-riscv.c
+++ b/bfd/elfnn-riscv.c
@@ -2561,8 +2561,9 @@ _bfd_riscv_elf_merge_private_bfd_data (bfd *ibfd, struct bfd_link_info *info)
   if (strcmp (bfd_get_target (ibfd), bfd_get_target (obfd)) != 0)
     {
       (*_bfd_error_handler)
-	(_("%B: ABI is incompatible with that of the selected emulation"),
-	 ibfd);
+	(_("%B: ABI is incompatible with that of the selected emulation:\n"
+	   "  target emulation `%s' does not match `%s'"),
+	 ibfd, bfd_get_target (ibfd), bfd_get_target (obfd));
       return FALSE;
     }