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This species is endemic to the country.

The conservation status of this species is regarded as Least Concerned (National Red List 2012).

This is a species protected under the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance as amended by Act No. 22 of 2009.

This active little bird is commonly found through out the wet zone including the city of Colombo and ascends the hills up to an altitude of about 1500 meters. The highest altitude I have recorded this species so far has been in the peak wilderness at 1860 meters. In the dry zone it can be found in scattered colonies and in such localities it is locally common. In the Knuckles forest reserve I have often found large flocks of about 30-40 of these birds visiting fruiting trees with Yellow-fronted Barbets. In October 2008 a flock of 22 birds visited a Eucalyptus tree growing in the General Hospital in Colombo.

The nest is a small inconspicuous hole dug in to the decaying branch at about 45-degree angle of a tree.

This is a common species in Wilpattu, which is usually heard more than seen. It is a difficult bird to photograph unless a nest is found as they usually frequent the canopy. I observed a nest of this species at Kohombansanchipooval in May 2015.