A medium-sized bird of foothill and lower montane forest. Uniform slaty gray with a black edge to the wing and black tail tip. Male has a black face and female a gray head. Similar to other male cicadabirds, but male Papuan has a darker wing than Gray-headed, and not found in open habitats like Common. Also similar to female Boyer’s Cuckooshrike but female Papuan Cicadabird has a longer, more slender bill. Voice, a short, repeated, upslurred “chuit!”.