The Short-toed Rock-thrush lives in dry rocky habitats of southern Africa. Males are blue-grey and rufous, while females are mainly grey-brown.
Males have blue-grey heads and upperparts with rufous underparts, but some populations lack the white crown. Females have grey-brown upperparts and paler rufous underparts.
It is usually solitary or in pairs and searches for insects on the ground and among rocks. Seasonal movements to lower areas in winter have also been recorded.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.