The species was described by Edward Blyth on the basis of an illustration of the bird from Bengal in the collections of Buchanan Hamilton.

[2] The rufous-fronted prinia is a small stocky bird, generally 12 cm long and weighing between 5 and 6 grams.

The head is olive brown, and the bird has a pale eyebrow and a thin red eye circle.

The beak is a classic insectivore, thin and slightly curved, and the eyes are reddish-orange.

They are mainly resident, migration is limited to local movements in cold weather.