This cuckooshrike uses semi-open habitats and lower mountains in the Indo-Malay region. Oiseaux.net lists the pool name Coracina polioptera as Lalage polioptera.
Males have blackish-gray upperparts and a white vent. Females have a broken whitish eye-ring and patterned rather than solid-gray underparts.
It is diurnal and occurs in open forest, towns, second growth and mountains at 300–1,500 m, gleaning invertebrates from vegetation.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.