Small cisticola that is pale and buffy below, and dark on the back. The crown, back of the neck, and back are heavily streaked. Found in seasonally flooded grassland. A high-pitched, multi-note piping song is given on the wing in a flight display. Very similar to Wing-snapping and Pale-crowned Cisticolas, but longer-tailed than both, and further distinguished from Pale-crowned in breeding plumage by the streaked crown. Also similar to Zitting and Desert Cisticolas, but has a different voice, and is darker on the back.