It builds a heavy grass-lined cup nest in a tree 2–8 m above the ground, and the female lays two unmarked greenish-blue eggs between March and May.

The juvenile resembles the adult female but has buff or orange streaks on the head and upperparts and dark spotting on the underparts.

The mountain thrush is uniformly brown with dark bare parts, and the clay-colored robin is much paler and yellow-billed.

It forages on the ground, singly or in pairs, progressing in hops and dashes with frequent stops.

It turns leaf litter seeking insects and spiders, and also eats small fruits, especially Ericaceae and Solanum.