It occurs in wetlands, swamps, mangroves, and marshes in Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea. It often stays hidden in dense vegetation while searching for insects and other invertebrates.
Its head and upper body are grey-brown, with a pale eyebrow, throat, and chin. The cheeks and upperparts are streaked black; the paler grey underparts also have black streaks.
It searches beneath dense vegetation for insects and other small invertebrates. If startled, it briefly rises above the vegetation before dropping back out of sight.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.