This is an Eastern species, breeding in Siberia from the Ural Mountains eastwards, and wintering in Persia, Afghanistan, and India. Stragglers have frequently been obtained in Europe, and two or three examples have been taken in these islands.

The adult is brown on the upper parts and whitish below, except for the chin, which is spotted, and the throat and breast, which are black. Length 9·75 in.; wing 5·45 in.