This species is uncommon . It inhabits open evergreen forests on hillsides in India (mainly in Mizoram, Manipur, and Nagaland), China, Myanmar, and Thailand, between the altitudes 700m-2,800m. It mostly forages on oak nuts and termites (BirdLife International 2016). 

This species is listed as Near Threatened in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (https://www.iucnredlist.org/)

According to the IUCN Red List assessment, the population of this species is declining, with the current population estimate of 6,000-15,000 individuals. The major threat to its persistence comes from hunting and snaring for trading meat and feathers. Shifting cultivation is also a threat that leads to habitat disturbance to this species (BirdLife International 2001).