It is a migratory insectivorous species breeding in mixed coniferous forests with undergrowth in northern Asia and northeastern Europe, from Finland east across Siberia to Kamchatka and south to Japan.

In behaviour, it is similar to a common redstart, frequently flicking its tail in the same manner, and regularly flying from a perch to catch insects in the air or on the ground.

[2][9] The genus name Tarsiger is from Ancient Greek tarsos, "flat of the foot" and Latin gerere, "to carry".

[11] It was usually considered invalid, until recognized by Hadoram Shirihai and Lars Svensson in 2018,[12] and it is now proposed to be a full species, the Qilian bluetail (T. albocoeruleus), in a molecular phylogenetic study published in 2022.

[13] The table below details the treatments adopted by some major works, by publication date (newest first):