It was described by Edward Blyth in 1847 based upon a specimen collected in Rakhine in Burma (Myanmar).

It has a particularly long blackish bill and the plumage is a contrasting dark brown head with rufous-brown wings.

[2] The species has a discontinuous distribution in the eastern Himalayas, and then a population in the higher areas of Burma, northern Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and the extreme south of China.

The species is generally non-migratory but will move down from higher altitudes in winter, and has turned up as a vagrant in Bangladesh.

The species is not common anywhere, but is potentially often overlooked due to its cryptic plumage and retiring behaviour.