The Grey-sided Scimitar Babbler lives in forest and scrub in eastern and southeastern China. It probes near the ground for insects and plant matter. Its account gives a broad March–June breeding period for much of its range.
About 22–25 cm long, it has rufous-brown upperparts, a grey face and flanks, a white underside with breast spots, yellow eyes and a grey curved bill.
It forages near the ground in undergrowth, forest edges, scrub and secondary growth, alone or in pairs, taking insects and plant matter. The account gives March–June as the breeding period for much of the range and describes nests on the ground or in low shrubs.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.