Adult Male:
The head, entire dorsal surface, and upper breast are steel-green, with occasional golden iridescence. The concealed portions of the wing feathers are black with bluish tips. The inner webs of the primary wing feathers have a long white stripe along the middle portion. The base of the inner webs of the secondary wing feathers is entirely white. The outer tail feathers have white tips, with the outermost feathers possessing three short white bands.
The lower breast, flanks, and belly are white with bronze-green barring. The undertail coverts are steel-green with barring at the base. The eyes are reddish-brown. The eyelids are red. The bill is orange-yellow, with a black tip. The legs are pale brownish-green.
Adult Female:
The crown and nape are rufous. The back and wings are bronze-green. The tail is the same color but darker, with the outer tail feathers having three white and black bands and two black spots, a broad black band near the tip. The underparts are white with bronze-brown barring; the barring on the chin and throat is narrow, widening towards the belly. The chin, throat, and upper breast are slightly rufous. The eyes are brown.
Juvenile:
Newly fledged juveniles have rufous-brown barring on the dorsal surface. The head lacks cross-barring, instead featuring longitudinal streaks. The chin, throat, and foreneck are rufous, with a hint of black. The remaining underparts have white and brown barring.
Measurements:
Wing: 104 – 114 mm; tail: 63 – 70 mm; tarsus: 15 mm; bill: 14 – 15 mm.
Distribution:
This bird species is distributed in the Himalayas, Myanmar, Southern China, and Indochina.
In Vietnam, this species can be found in dense forests. They often perch in the canopy of trees with dense foliage. Specimens have been collected in Cao Bằng, Lạng Sơn, Lai Châu, Bắc Kạn, Quảng Trị, south-central Vietnam, and southern Vietnam.