It launches from high branches to catch insects in the air. Females and first-winter birds have conspicuous chestnut backs and tails.
Females and first-winter birds have chestnut upperparts and tail, a slate-grey face, throat and breast, and a black crest. Adult males occur in white and rufous morphs.
It uses forest, secondary growth, mangroves, parks and gardens with trees, usually perching high in the canopy and sallying out to catch insects.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.