This large babbler forages close to the forest floor in Southeast Asia. It has a streaked brown back and a white throat and upper breast bordered by a dark band, absent in the Javan subspecies.
The crown and back are streaked light brown and black, with a more rufescent rump. White chin, throat, and upper breast are bordered by a blackish band, which is absent in the Javan subspecies.
A 1984 recording from Taman Negara notes calls from what may have been a small group or family in thick cover in wet evergreen forest, followed by a bird whistling from a perch about 1 m above the ground.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.