The 1987 original description called this bird Cettia carolinae and reported it from two sites in southern Yamdena. The author thought it might be widespread on the island, but the records available then were limited.
Specimens described in 1987 as Cettia carolinae had brown upperparts, a slightly rufous crown, grey-white underparts, olive-brown flanks, and a pale buff eyebrow stripe.
The 1987 account under the name Cettia carolinae describes birds moving through low undergrowth and vines, catching insects from branches and shrubs. Ants, beetles, true bugs and tiny snails were also found in the stomachs of two specimens.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.