It breeds in holes in trees, buildings, cliffs, earth banks, and potentially on power lines (D. L. Bohra in litt. 2016) in steppe, semi-arid and desert areas, including around human settlement and (at least in Kazakhstan) in woodland. It may also occur on mountain valleys close to water sources (Baptista et al. 2020). In winter, it occurs in open areas with scattered trees, often with agricultural crops, and in areas with suitable fruiting trees, where it roosts and feeds gregariously. It is reportedly on the rise in the western part of the Thar Desert where it experiences extreme temperatures, within a habitat of sparse thorny vegetation and grasses (D. L. Bohra in litt. 2016). Its diet includes grass seeds, arable crop seeds and the fruit of trees and shrubs, including Zizyphus and mulberry Morus alba. The species breeds from April to August (Baptista et al. 2020). 

Columba eversmanni breeds in southern Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, north-east Iran and extreme north-west China (BirdLife International 2001). Its status and distribution within this range are poorly known. It winters in Pakistan and north-west India, historically as far east as Bihar, and southern Xinjiang and western Gansu, China. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, it was recorded in huge flocks in its wintering grounds, particularly in the Punjab, India. However, it has declined rapidly, from wintering flocks numbering thousands of birds to flocks generally only of tens or a few hundreds of birds, with occasional larger counts, most recently (1995) of up to 2,000 individuals in a single flock. Whether it continues to decline is unclear, and there is some evidence that it may have steadily increased at one site in India (Jorbeer dead animal dump) since 2011 (Bohra and Vyas 2014, D. L. Bohra in litt. 2016).

Conservation Actions Underway
In China, 15 protected areas have been designated within its range. In India, it occurs around the Harike Lake Bird Sanctuary, Punjab.

Conservation Actions Proposed
Survey its central Asian breeding range to establish the size and distribution of the breeding population, key threats and habitat requirements. Investigate habitat requirements in its wintering grounds. Protect important breeding habitat from further loss and degradation. Protect it from hunting across its range, particularly in China, where it should be listed as a protected species, and in India. Improve management of protected areas holding the species.