Distinctive brown babbler with a small black mask, white throat, and rusty orange cap. Color scheme loosely similar to that of Streak-breasted Scimitar-Babbler, but has a proportionally longer and broader tail, no solid streaking on the breast, and a short, dark, uncurved bill. Inhabits reedbeds, tall grass, scrub, and weedy edges. Listen for its chattering and metallic call notes as flocks move around noisily in cover. Song is variable, but is usually some variant of a chittering whinny.