Plump terrestrial bird with a short cocked-tail and long legs. Walks quietly on the ground in humid forests where its shy nature and cryptic plumage make it difficult to spot. Olive-brown above with a prominent, but short white eyebrow and buffy streaking below. Several different subspecies occur throughout South America with variable patterning on the breast. The song is a melodious series of soft notes varying in length between subspecies and mostly given while perched above the ground.