This small babbler inhabits montane forest in western Sumatra and searches for invertebrates in the understory near the ground.
Its tail is so short as to appear almost absent. The brown plumage is streaked, the throat is whitish, and the long bill and dark facial stripes stand out.
It is recorded in lower montane oak-laurel forest at about 1,200–2,850 m and forages for invertebrates in undergrowth near the ground.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.