It had been placed in the family Timaliidae, but it is a close relative of the white-eyes, however, and many taxonomists now place it in the family Zosteropidae.. Its natural habitats are tropical moist lowland forests and tropical moist montane forests up to 1,100 meters above sea level.

[4] EBird describes it as "A small bird of lowland and foothill forest and more open wooded areas on Mindanao.

Has fine white streaking on the head, back, and chest, a whitish belly, a pale yellow eye, and a thin black bill.

The Visayan pygmy babbler was formerly included here as a subspecies, but is usually recognized as a distinct species S. pygmaea today.

[7] The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed this species as near-threatened with the population decreasing due to the deforestation of its preferred lowland forest.