Slim, pretty, long-tailed member of the cisticola family. Shows considerable geographic variation; the back can be olive-green or gray, the crown brown or gray, and the underparts white or yellow. Always shows a white eye, a black band across the chest, and white outer tail feathers. In most of its range, confined to montane forest. In South Africa, also found in dense woodland and thicket. The song varies geographically, but in general, is a duet in which the male gives repeated “chrup” notes while the female gives rapid-fire higher notes.