This small babbler occurs on Palawan and Balabac in the southern Philippines. It searches for food on or near the ground, usually alone or in pairs.
The crown and nape are dark grey; the back, wings, and tail are ochre-brown with a rufous tinge. The face is pale grey and the underparts white, with a narrow brownish-ochre breast band.
It inhabits primary and secondary evergreen broadleaf forest and also uses second growth and scrub. It usually forages on or near the ground alone or in pairs.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.