Small and fairly bright antpitta found in foothills and subtropics from Costa Rica to Bolivia. Typical antpitta shape: plump and short-tailed. Dull brown above. Messy-looking buffy face and eyering. Some geographic variation: breast color varies from buffy to whitish, and some populations show bold dark scaling on breast, while others are nearly unmarked. Sexes similar. Shy and difficult to see; stays on or near the ground in forest, often perching on small limbs a couple meters high (more so than the larger antpittas). Swings its body side to side. Song can be difficult to detect: a simple, extremely high pitched, descending whistle. Occurs from around 500–2,500 m, usually lower than other small antpittas.