This fantail inhabits montane forest and subalpine scrub in the New Guinea highlands. It has two tail-color forms, and mixed-form pairs may occur.
The head and underparts are gray-brown, with a rufous rump and dark wings. The tail is either gray-brown or dark with a broad rufous band near the tip.
It forages fairly low in montane forest and subalpine shrubs, spreading its tail and wings.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.