This ground-dwelling bird has been studied in the Cerrado of southeastern Brazil. Individuals vary, including in the size of a white patch on the back.
A 2010 study in southeastern Brazil recorded variation in the size of the white back patch and in body size. The patch is not reported as universal.
It moves on the ground among Cerrado grasses and shrubs, searching for prey. A separate southeastern Brazilian study reported use of burrows dug by small mammals.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.