Tiny flycatcher with an olive-green back and yellow or whitish underparts depending on subspecies. Inhabits the understory of terra firme and second growth forest, although the western subspecies is mainly found in blackwater flooded forest (igapo). Calls and song variable between subspecies, but many give a rapid nasal trills and/or “tic” notes. Wingbars of Snethlage’s are less distinct than on White-eyed or Zimmer`s Tody-Tyrants, and Snethlage’s lacks the crest of Helmeted Pygmy-Tyrant.