Adult Male:
The head, neck, and upper breast are deep red. A small tuft of down feathers is present on the chin, and the base of the throat feathers is black. The back, shoulders, flanks, and upper tail coverts are fresh rufous-brown, tinged with rust. The central tail feathers are rufous-brown with black tips. The next two pairs are black, with the feather shafts at the base, and sometimes the inner vane or only the edges, are rufous-brown. The outermost tail feathers are black, with a broad white patch at the tips.
The wing coverts and tertiary feathers are black, with white streaks and speckles. The small wing coverts are tinged with yellowish-rufous. The primary coverts are black. The primary feathers are black, with white edges on the outer vanes. A white band crosses the breast. The remaining underside is rosy-red, becoming slightly paler on the belly.
Female:
The head, neck, upper breast, and mid-back are rufous-brown, tinged with yellow. Compared to the male, the red color on the belly is paler.
The eyes are red. The skin around the eyelids is purplish.
Bill:
The tip, ridge, and edges of the bill are black, while the middle section is bluish-green; the gape is purplish. The legs are pinkish-brown, with a slight bluish tinge.
Measurements:
Wing: 134 – 155 mm; Tail: 178 mm; Tarsus: 17 – 18 mm; Bill: 18 mm.
Distribution:
This subspecies is found in southern Laos and throughout the humid forests from Nghe An province south to South Vietnam.