Growing to 9–11.5 cm (3.5–4.5 in) long, it is usually brown and cream in colour, but has a different appearance during the mating season, with a gold-coloured body and a much shorter tail.

The golden-headed cisticola was described by the naturalists Nicholas Vigors and Thomas Horsfield in 1827 and given the binomial name Malurus exilis.

[6] Twelve subspecies are recognised:[6] The golden-headed cisticola is a small species, growing to 9–11.5 cm (3.5–4.5 in) long and weighing 6–10 g (0.21–0.35 oz), with males slightly heavier than females.

[10] The male has several characteristics that are only present during the breeding season, including a golden body colour, a golden-orange head, and a dull chin.

[11] Females and males outside of the breeding season are similar in appearance, characterized by a cream-coloured underside and a brown upperside.

[10] It produces a variety of sounds distinct from other birds, which, according to the Sunshine Coast Council, range from a "teewip" to a "wheezz, whit-whit".

[3] The golden-headed cisticola has a very large range and population, covering Australia, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam.

Its extent of occurrence is estimated to be 36,800,000 km2 (14,200,000 sq mi),[1] and it is the most common species of cisticola in Australia and from India to the Philippines.

[14] The species' habitat can be grassy hills, savannas, woodlands, scrublands,[7] rivers, wetlands, or irrigated farmland,[3] in areas where the grass is tall and thick.

Records from New Guinea and Tasmania have shown it to be a wandering bird, and it possibly undergoes partial migration in China.

[10] In these performances, the male "climbs vertically, spirals upwards to cruising height of about 50 m, circles for up to 5 minutes, singing, alternately fluttering and closing wings", and then steeply descends to just above the ground.