The orange-billed babbler is a resident breeding bird endemic to Sri Lanka.

Although its habitat is under threat, it occurs in all the forests of the wet zone, and is quite common at prime sites like Kitulgala and Sinharaja.

It is a noisy bird, and the presence of a flock may generally be known at some distance by the continual chattering, squeaking and chirping produced by its members.

It is usually the first sign that a mixed-species feeding flock, so characteristic of Asian wet forests, is in the vicinity.

[2][3] In Sri Lanka, this bird is known as rathu demalichcha (translates to 'red babbler') in Sinhala language.