Formerly placed with the typical warblers in the Sylviidae (Jønsson & Fjeldså 2006), the parrotbills are now considered a distinct family, the Paradoxornithidae.

The bird is more or less brown all over, with an extensive black area on upper breast and uniform rufous-buff remainder of underparts.

The similar spot-breasted parrotbill, a close relative, has arrow-shaped spotting on breast and pale buff underparts.

(BLI 2006) Paradoxornis flavirostris is endemic to the Indian subcontinent and in modern times possibly the country of India, where it is known from the plains and foothills of the Brahmaputra valley in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.

Historically, it was also recorded in Bangladesh and possibly eastern Nepal.