A very small flycatcher with a long bill for its size and a yellow eye. It is olive-brown above with whitish wingbars and indistinct streaking on white underparts. Considerable variation exists among subspecies in the color of the belly (gray or yellow) and the color of the back (dark gray or brown). Occurs in woodlands, shrubby habitats, and pastures with shrubs where it can be found foraging in the lower and middle levels; mostly in pairs. The song is sharp and descending series of trills “tick-tick-tr’r’r’r’r’r’r’r.”