It has a dark forehead and chestnut crest, wings, and tail. In Brazil it uses low scrub in the Cerrado and other semi-open habitats, moving by hops near the ground while searching for invertebrates.
It is about 16 cm long, with a black forehead and chestnut crest, wings, and tail.
It uses shrubs, thorny scrub, and tall grass in semi-open habitats and eats invertebrates. Native Alimentos describes shaded Cerrado scrub and low regrowth after fire; its account says the bird hops on the ground and flies low to a nearby bush when it must move.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.