The bushy-tailed jird is a large mouse-like rodent with a bushy tail in the subfamily Gerbillinae.

Dorsally, the hairs are yellowish-brown tipped with black, with the flanks being rather paler than the back.

The tail is yellowish-brown at its base, the rest being greyish-black except for the usually white tip.

This bushy tail is unique among small rodents in Egypt except for the Asian garden dormouse (Eliomys melanurus).

Its natural habitat is arid and semiarid localities where the rainfall is typically less than 100 millimetres (4 in) per year.