Medium-sized inconspicuous antbird of lowland rainforest. Note gray (male) and brown (female) plumage, large bill, and lack of strong pattern on wing coverts. Found inside forest, often in pairs; may follow mixed-species flocks but often encountered alone, foraging deliberately in the mid-story or lower. Heard far more often than seen; song is a distinctive, short series of complaining notes with a characteristic doubled note at the end. The song is slower and more inflected than the song of Plain-winged Antshrike.