A small and unobtrusive inhabitant of montane forests. Round-headed and short-billed. Variable across its expansive range, but male tends to be slightly more colorful than the female, which has a lighter gray head and tinges of greenish-yellow on the back and flanks. A white eyering of varying thickness is present in some subspecies. Overall, however, a gray head, pale belly, and olive green upperparts are found regardless of region or sex.