This spinetail has chestnut-brown upperparts and head, with white underparts. Its pale yellow chin can be hard to see.
The head and upperparts are chestnut, the underparts are white, and the chin is pale yellow. The sexes look similar, but color varies among subspecies.
It occurs in wet savannas, marshes, and mangrove edges. It may perch on branches or fences and also forage on the ground for larvae, ants, other insects, and spiders.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.