They favor deep, fast-flowing rivers with relatively clear water, high banks, deep pools, and sandbanks for basking and nesting. They rarely venture more than a few feet away from the water.
The last populations of Tutong are found in India, Indonesia, Bangaladesh, and Malaysia. It is extinct in its former range of Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam, and Singapore.
Red-billed Leiothrix are native to Southern Asia and are now found on the Hawaiian Islands. These birds were first introduced to Kauai in 1918.