This bunting has a conspicuous crest: males are dark, while females show brown streaking. The species ranges from northern India and the Himalayan foothills east through China to northern Indochina, and feeds on seeds.
The male has a longer crest and dark grey to blackish plumage with chestnut wings. The female is grey-brown and streaked above, with buff, darker-streaked underparts.
It feeds on seeds. Hong Kong records describe birds foraging on the ground and perching prominently on wires.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.