Shy skulker with golden wings and a long golden tail. Eastern populations in China have a gray head and orange crown, while western populations in far northeastern India and Myanmar have a dark rusty head. Forages on the ground in small flocks in dense brushy understory, sometimes with other laughingthrushes. Song is a repetitive series of inflected notes, including a wolf-whistle-like “whi’wi’er-wee!” and a shorter “whi’wi’eeer!”