Beautifully patterned ground-dweller of mountainous temperate forests with thick undergrowth. Tangerine-colored with a pale throat, black-and-white barred wings and tail, and star-like pale spots all over a darker head and back. Forages in the leaf litter and on the bases of tree trunks, sometimes in pairs and small flocks. Spotted patterning bears a passing resemblance to that of Spotted Elachura, which is dark brown overall with a far shorter tail. Song is a rolling series of high-pitched, slightly hoarse notes.