A relatively colorful, mid-sized, long-tailed cisticola. Note the gray-brown back with thick black streaks, the rufous on the wing and cap, and the whitish underparts. Tail is slightly longer in non-breeding plumage. Found in wetlands, moist grassland, and scrub. Similar to Stout Cisticola, but has a slimmer bill, longer tail, and brighter rufous wing panel. The vocalizations are quick bursts of rough calls, usually followed by the dry, trilling song.