This mountain forest bird occurs from southwestern and central-southern China through Myanmar, northern Thailand and parts of Indochina. It is arboreal and searches for food in trees.
It is about 21–25 cm long, much of that length being its long tail. The head, tail and wings are black, the upper back is brownish, and the tail feathers have grey or white tips.
By day it searches trees for invertebrates. It moves quietly along moss- and lichen-covered branches in a squirrel-like manner and is described as secretive, with somewhat awkward movements.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.