[3] A 2017 genetic study using both mitochondrial and nuclear DNA found the ancestor of the scrubtit diverged from that of the three whitefaces of the genus Aphelocephala around 7 million years ago.

The plumage consists of a white throat and belly, a brown back, crown, flank and tail, black wings and grey on the face.

The scrubtit forages individually, in pairs or in small family groups near the ground in dense cover.

The nest is a woven globe with a side entrance, lined with feathers and fur, camouflaged and usually found between 1–3 m off the ground.

[6] The species is victim to brood parasitism by fan-tailed cuckoos (Cacomantis flabelliformis) and shining bronze-cuckoos (Chrysococcyx lucidus), and quolls (Dasyurus) also take eggs and nestlings.