This bird is marked by a white crown and rufous underparts. It ranges from western Africa into parts of eastern Africa, using open woodland and waterside thickets.
Adults of the nominate subspecies have a white crown and eyebrow, a dark face, brown upperparts, a rufous rump and underparts, and a red iris.
It often stays concealed in savanna bushes. Its song mixes warbling phrases, trills, and rough notes.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.