Distinctive colorful antbird of dense rainforest understory. Black head and breast, reddish brown wings and tail, and tan back and upper wings spotted with black. Prominent bare patch of red skin around the eye. Sexes similar. Most common in the dense undergrowth of seasonally flooded forest, especially in heliconias, but may be found anywhere in dense forest undergrowth. One of the most common antbirds at army ant swarms in its range (but only rarely seen away from ants). Distinctive by voice, a descending series of 2 or 3 whistles, the first clear, the following notes burry.