[4] It is a large thrush measuring about 25-30 cm[4] and weighs about 101-130 g. The male has a blackish upper body with shiny metallic patches of blue on the forehead and shoulders, and glossy royal-blue scaling on back, scapulars and mid-breast to belly.

The blue becomes visible only in oblique lighting and is due to ultraviolet reflectance, a shared attribute with other whistling thrushes.

[4][5][6][7] Malabar whistling thrushes are usually found in dark undergrowth in dense riverine forest.

[5] They typically forage in the margins, beds and adjacent ground of rocky hill streams and rivers in forest, secondary growth and plantations from foothills up to 2200 m above sea level but reach the plains in the rainy season.

They are also found along the Satpura range to Chhattisgarh,[8] northwestern Orissa (Surguja and Simlipal National Park),[9][10] and locally in the Eastern Ghats.

[3] The species is omnivorous, feeding primarily on insects, snails, worms, crabs[17] and small frogs, as well as drupes, and wind-fallen figs and berries.

[21] In a study of nest-site selection in the Silent Valley area, a total of 21 nests were found mostly on rocks along the edge of streams and one each in a tree hole and inside an abandoned building.

The nest is a cup made of moss, bamboo roots and grass, with a broad base and tapering towards the top.