The African hill babbler was described by the German naturalist Eduard Rüppell in 1840 under the binomial name Drymophila abyssinica.

Fry et al. (2000) state it has the same vocalizations and behaviour as other races, and do not give it the status of a separate species;[6][7] however, Collar & Robson (2007) split them.

[2] The African hill babbler is an arboreal robin-like forest bird with a thin bill, bright reddish brown back and a contrasting grey head and nape.

[6] The song of the African hill babbler is a rich, melodious warble and resembles the songs of thrushes and orioles and is composed of separated whistled phrases with frequent pitch changes, and may have some scratch notes and lower pitched whistles too.

[8] The African hill babbler lives in pairs which forage within 2m of the ground, gleaning insects from leaves and picking fruit.