Scimitar babblers are characterized by a long, often white, sharply down-curved bill resembling a scimitar. They live in forests and scrubland areas of Asia, where they are often seen in pairs or small groups foraging on the ground. The Sunda scimitar babbler is a small (19-21 cm) scimitar babbler with light eyes and a relatively short down-curved bill. The head is marked with white and black bars. The upperparts and flanks are deep chestnut brown, with darker wings and tail. The throat and belly are white. The bird forages singly or in pairs at medium altitudes in the forest. It sometimes joins mixed-species flocks. It is endemic to Sumatra, Borneo and peninsular Malaysia.