This endemic species is uncommon. It inhabits the coniferous and deciduous forests of the Western Himalaya (mainly in Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand of India), from the height of 1,750m to 3,600m asl. It is an altitudinal migrant that inhabits the reserved forests during April-June for breeding and moves to the grassy gullies for wintering (BirdLife International 2017).

This species is listed as Vulnerable 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 size estimated at approximately 3,300 individuals. The threat to its persistence comes from habitat disturbance due to large-scale agriculture and other human encroachments. Illegal hunting for meat and feathers is also a major threat to this species (BirdLife International 2001).