The upperparts are mainly olive-brown with black streaks, the bases of the feathers on the lower back and rump are white and are hidden when the bird is at rest.

The main distribution covers southern and eastern Africa from Kenya south to KwaZulu Natal.

It often remains motionless for long periods, perching upright on a low horizontal branch and calling infrequently.

[5] The nest is an oval-shaped structure with a side entrance and is built by both sexes from bark, dry leaves, twigs, grass and rootlets, often held together by strands of spider web.

[8] The generic name honours the Scottish zoologist and explorer Dr Andrew Smith who described this species as Platyrhynchus capensis in 1839.

[3] There are currently nine recognised subspecies[2] and they are listed below with their distributions from north west to south:[2][6] This bird has a large range and is common in several regions.