The Plain Antvireo is distributed from Mexico through Central America and into tropical South America with the exception of the Amazon Basin. See the distribution map at xeno-canto. It is generally found in humid, montane forest but also occurs in deciduous forest and secondary woodland.

The male has a grey head with darker patches round the ears and an olive-grey back. It has white spots on the wing-coverts while below it is pale grey with a whitish throat and a yellowish belly. The female (photos 4 to 7) is olive-brown above with a rufous crown.

The song is a short series of accelerating notes dropping in pitch.