The Olive Bushshrike has more than one plumage form. In the common ruddy form, an olive back contrasts with a rufous chest. It searches dense vegetation for insects and small fruits.
In the common ruddy form, the crown and part of the mantle are gray, the back and wings olive green, and the throat and chest rufous. Males of this form have a black face, while females have a gray face. The less common olive form is greener from crown to wings, with yellow-rufous underparts.
It searches dense forest and thickets for invertebrates and small fruits. It sometimes joins mixed-species bird parties and may be heard before it is seen.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.