Small gray songbird with heavy bill, dark mask, and white eyebrow. Underparts pale whitish; in flight note white rump. Inhabits wooded areas and scrub in lowland and lower hills, mostly in the Dry Zone of Sri Lanka; avoids dense, wet forests. Arboreal species usually encountered in pairs or small groups. Pale eyebrow and plain underparts aid identification from similarly heavy-billed (but larger) Large Woodshrike. Vocalizations include soft “chup” notes; song a resonant series, “wee-wee-weet-weet”, accelerating then decelerating. Varies in rapidity of notes and number of notes in series.