Occurs in primary and secondary forest, often far from water. Also occasionally mangroves and swamp forests (Trainor et al. 2012, Eaton et al. 2021). Typically occurs below c.1,200 m.

Unlike its former conspecific (C. rufidorsa), this species is strictly resident, chiefly in the Greater and Lesser Sundaic region. Occurs from Tenasserim, Myanmar, south through Peninsular Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia, through Sumatra, Indonesia (including the West Sumatran islands), Java and Nusa Tenggara (Lesser Sundas) east to as far as Alor (and south to Sumba). Widespread on Borneo, including Sabah, Sarawak, Kalimantan and Brunei Darussalam and extents north to Palawan and Mindoro, in the Philippines. Status in Singapore is unclear, with no confirmed record since 1949 until November 2019, followed by another in July 2020 (eBird 2023). May therefore be resident (but scarce), or an occasional visitor from dispersal of Malay Peninsula birds.

Conservation Actions Underway
Occurs in numerous protected areas across its range, but otherwise is not subject to specific conservation action.

Conservation Actions Proposed
Continue to monitor habitat trends using remote sensing data. Advocate for the preservation of more lowland forest blocks throughout its range, particularly in the Greater Sundas, to protect this and other Sundaic species from declines.