Small, fairly plain, brown-and-orange robin-like bird. The tail is uniformly rufous-brown and the face is mostly orange, with a black or gray cap. Found in the understory of forest at middle and high elevations. Shy and inconspicuous. The song is a quiet, up-and-down series of several mournful whistles. Very similar to Lowland Akalat, but has orange extending further onto the face, and found at higher elevations. Also similar to White-bellied and Gray-winged Robin-Chats, but separated from the former by uniform tail, and from the latter by the lack of a strong white eyebrow.