The Chestnut-hooded Laughingthrush is endemic to Borneo, with a patchy distribution. The account describes three subspecies across the island's mountain regions.
In the nominate subspecies, the bill base, eyebrow, and throat are chestnut, the pointed front crown feathers are gray-white, and a long white patch crosses the outer wing. The underparts are gray-ochre with chestnut-rufous lower belly.
It uses evergreen broadleaf forest, forest edges, and secondary growth, sometimes entering nearby farmland. It searches the ground and low branches for insects and fruit, often in groups of four or five and sometimes mixed flocks.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.