A long-tailed woodpecker relative camouflaged by fine grey-brown patterning.
Its grey-brown plumage is finely patterned; the pale underparts have narrow bars. It has a long tail and a short pointed bill.
It is migratory. Hong Kong field records describe it as an autumn passage migrant, a winter visitor, and a spring passage migrant; ants were the only food items noted in those local observations.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.