It is sparrow sized with males having rufous wings and tail on a black body and females being less contrastingly coloured in dull brown.

Males have a prominent crest, yellowish beak, black body plumage contrasting with the rufous flight feathers of the wing and tail.

They are also found in parts of central and peninsular India extending east along the Himalayas into China, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia.

A courtship display involving the male fanning and cocking its tail, raising the wing on one side and walking around a female has been observed.

In captivity a male picks up some nesting material and walks around the female in circles with bowed wings and fanned tail.

They breed in summer (experiments in captivity show that they respond to long daylength[8]) building a cup nest made of fine fibre and hear placed on the ground in a stone wall or sheltered by a rock.