The plumage is distinctively rufous-brown with thin black bars on the wings and back. The forehead, sides of crown and ear coverts are grey and the bill is black. The facial markings are bold and distinctive, a bright red facial mask is bordered by a black supercilium and moustacial stripe. A white band extends from the chin to behind the eye and the throat is black. A white stripe is present on the breast, and the legs and feet are grey. It occupies environments which often experience extreme heat during the day, extreme cold during the night, high seasonal fluctuations in rainfall, and extended periods of severe drought. This species is most often encountered in habitats containing hummock forming grasses of the Triodia and Plectrachne genera, which are colloquially referred to as ‘spinifex grasses’. These grasses may form extensive areas of grassland in comprise the understorey component of low open savannah and woodlands of Desert Oak ("Allocasuarina decaisneana"), Eucalypts and Mulga ("Acacia aneura"). Although strong associations with spinifex are reported, in some areas it is rarely sighted in spinifex and prefers other types of sparse grassland.