This slender and long tailed bird is found in the dry semi-desert region of northern Africa, Arabia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and western India.

The grey hypocolius is a slim bird with a long tail, slight crest and thick, short hook-tipped bill.

Birds are mainly a uniform grey or brownish-grey colour, with males having a black triangular mask around the eyes.

[11] The grey hypocolius ranges through the Middle East, breeding in the Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan area,[12] and wintering mostly near the Red Sea and Persian Gulf coasts of Arabia, including Bahrain.

They are regular winter visitors to the Kutch and Jamnagar region of western India[13][14] and vagrants have been noted as far south as Kihim near Bombay.

[6][16] The grey hypocolius is a shy and unobtrusive, even cryptic, bird which will fly to thick cover when disturbed, where it will remain motionless until the perceived danger has passed.

[18] Grey hypocoliuses forage quietly and methodically in foliage, through clusters of trees, palm groves and orchards, rarely coming to the ground.

[4] Because the species has a large range, and because it does not meet the population size and decline criteria of the IUCN Red List, the conservation status is evaluated as being of "least concern".