This species is one of those retained in the genus Alcippe after the true fulvettas and some others were removed; the group had turned out to contain quite unrelated birds.

[3] The brown-cheeked fulvetta is a resident breeding bird in Bangladesh, India and Southeast Asia.

They can be difficult to observe in the dense vegetation they prefer, but these are vocal birds, and their characteristic calls are often the best indication that they are present.

In a study by Anoop Das and Vijayan, a total of 38 nests were found in 50,000 square metres.

The most preferred plants for nesting were shrubs of the species Lasianthus ciliatus (36%) followed by the Saprosma fragrans (27%) and Thottea siliquosa (23%).