This bird is recorded in forests of southeastern Brazil. Its bill is bluish-yellow, with white markings around and above the eye. Pairs move through dense foliage and along trunks, inspecting dead leaves and epiphytes for food.
The bill is bluish-yellow and the upperparts are dark brown. A white eye ring and strong eyebrow are present; the white throat continues into a nuchal band. The rump and tail are reddish-rufous, and the belly is pale ochraceous.
It often forages in pairs, climbing through dense foliage and along trunks while inspecting dead-leaf clumps and epiphytes. It also hammers into rotten wood and bamboo. Records are from humid primary and secondary forest and forest borders; the account says it favors bamboo stands but is not confined to them.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.