This nuthatch occurs in western China and northeastern Tibet. It uses spruce and fir forest, parkland, and places with scattered trees at roughly 2,200–4,000 m.
Adults have a black crown and nape, a white face that makes the eye stand out, an orange-buff wash on the throat, rich cinnamon underparts, and dark blue-grey upperparts.
It occurs in spruce and fir forest, parkland, and areas with isolated trees. The account gives an elevation range of about 2,200–4,000 m, locally higher, and says some altitudinal movement is possible.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.