Gray songbird with a small erectable black crest, found across most of inland Australia, where its far-carrying song is one of the characteristic outback sounds. Male has white face and black bib, female and juvenile plain gray. Forages on or close to the ground, hopping and bouncing along, but also calls from prominent perches. Its song is a long fluid and bubbling whistled phrase "kan-pan-parlala," which carries a long distance.