A medium-sized bird, brownish above and pale buff below, with a bright rufous tail and a distinctive buffy line behind the eye. Found in tall rainforest, where it occurs mainly in the midstory and canopy. Feeds on insects and forages actively, often investigating dead leaf clusters and other accumulations of detritus. Song is fairly fast series of nasal upslurred notes, sometimes preceded by a fast series of sharper nasal calls. Most similar to Rufous-rumped Foliage-gleaner, but Rufous-tailed is somewhat smaller and usually in higher levels in the forest. Note also Rufous-tailed’s brown rump contrasting with the rufous tail.