These birds forage in flocks of 40 or more, looking through leaf litter on the ground, or flitting from one leafy branch to another in bushes and trees, gleaning for insects. They can also be seen picking out invertebrates while clinging onto the overhanging foliage of climber vines. Breeding pairs build open-cup nests out of twigs and grasses, in tall camphor, Chinese sweet gum and maple trees. Colonies of these nests come alive simultaneously in the months of April to July. Cooperative breeders, up to four adults may attend to a single nest and collectively chase away intruders like the red-billed blue magpies, presumed to be nest predators.

Flocks vocalise with a continuous nervous tittering. They also have a pleasant, nasal call consisting of an irregular series of notes. Interviews with bird-trappers, dealers and villagers in western Jiangxi reveal that high market prices have driven trapping of this species for the songbird trade, and that trappers move on to other sites once local populations are wiped out. The birds’ use of human-modified habitats makes them vulnerable to predation by animals like squirrels. Urban development has either taken over their roosting and nesting sites or led to abandonment of nests.