Small bird with thin pointed bill. Upperparts brown, underparts grayish brown, with dark red eye, reddish-brown forehead, and white throat with dark streaking. Similar Tasmanian Thornbill has longer tail and rufous-brown panel on wings; Inland Thornbill has grayer upperparts, more streaking on the breast, and a longer tail; and Striated Thornbill has more greenish upperparts, thin white streaking in reddish-brown cap, and pale eyebrow. Inhabits a wide variety of shrub habitats, where usually seen in small groups or pairs.