It has a rufous-brown head, a white throat, and dark barring on the back. It keeps near the forest floor in wet montane forest and may be heard before it is seen.
Adults have a deep rufous crown and nape, a white throat, and olive-brown upperparts with dark bars. The breast and belly are cinnamon to rufescent.
Its habits are poorly known. It forages alone or in small groups within cover and may be seen at forest edges at dawn; it is often heard rather than seen.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.