Male Adult:
The forehead, crown, and nape are dark brown. A band of the same color extends from in front of the eye, through the eye, and over the ear. The remainder of the head and neck are pale rufous, with each feather having a central brown spot, except on the chin and throat. The dorsal surface transitions from brown to blackish-brown. The scapular feathers and some of the back feathers are paler and edged with pale brown. The flanks and upper tail coverts are dark brown. The tail feathers are blackish-brown with a sheen and pale brown edges. The lesser and median wing coverts are gray. The greater wing coverts are slate gray with a white band near the end of the feather and a black band at the tip. The speculum is iridescent green with black and white borders. The rest of the wing is brown. The breast is pale rufous with brown spots. The belly is darker and tinged with brown. The undertail coverts are near black.
Female:
Resembles the male but is smaller in size.
Juvenile:
Resembles the adult but is lighter in color and has numerous small streaks along the feathers. Eyes are brown. The basal two-thirds of the bill is black, and the tip is yellow or orange. Legs are red.
Measurements:
Wing (male): 250 – 275 mm; (female): 237 – 258 mm; tail: 120 – 117 mm; tarsus: 22 – 25 mm; bill: 57 – 59 mm.
Distribution:
The species is distributed in Myanmar, Assam, Thailand, Southern China, Laos, and Vietnam.
In Vietnam, it nests in the plains from the North to the South, as far as Hue, but the population is not large.