The species' plumage is reddish brown, the throat, breast and belly being white and the face being marked with a distinctive eye-stripe.

The long-legged thicketbird is a shy bird and easily overlooked as it forages on the ground in pairs or small family groups.

In 2003 scientists from BirdLife International working in Wabu Forest Reserve in Viti Levu discovered a small population of M. rufus.

The population is assessed to be stable or at least not declining rapidly, if very small (between 50 and 249 mature birds) but protection of sufficient habitat is necessary to keep it that way.

Threats include some logging and the impact of introduced predators (the small Asian mongoose and the black rat).