An unusual warbler with a long bill and pale eye. The upperparts are pale, with blurry gray on the chest and rufous on the flanks. Found in humid forest at low and middle elevations, mainly in dense mid-level tangles. Similar in appearance to other longbills, but with a good view, separated by the rufous on the underparts. Also similar to Fraser’s Sunbird, but less yellow below, with a straighter bill. Most often detected by the distinctive song, a melancholy, wandering, variable series of whistles that can either descend or ascend. Sounds quite robin-like.