This small babbler is endemic to Negros Island in the Philippines. Records are concentrated in a few montane-forest areas, and a 2022 study notes uncertainty in its distribution and population estimates.
About 14–15 cm long. It has a black forecrown and eyebrow, whitish lores and cheeks flecked with black, olive crown and upperparts, dark grey-brown wings and tail, and creamy-yellow underparts with small dark streaks. The sexes are similar.
It searches the foliage of understorey trees and bushes for insects and small fruits. It may occur alone, in pairs, in small groups, or in mixed feeding flocks. A 2022 field study observed birds using forest from near ground level to the canopy.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.