- Small songbird.
- Short, thick bill.
- Two wingbars.
- Breeding male with blue head and back, red chest, and white belly.
- Female and nonbreeding male dull brown.
Male DescriptionBreeding (Alternate) Plumage: Head deep blue. Upper chest reddish. Lower chest, belly, and under tail white. One large and one narrow white wingbar. Black in front of eyes. Wing feathers dark, edged in blue.
Nonbreeding (Basic) Plumage: Buffy overall. Blue feathers tipped with buff on back and face. Blue, reddish, and white feathers tipped with buff on front.
Female DescriptionGrayish brown head, nape, and back. Rump brown tinged with light blue. Bluish tint on shoulders. Two pale tan or whitish wingbars. Faint rust band across breast, blending to lighter brown lower on belly. Wing and tail feathers brown with slightly blue-tinged edges.
Immature DescriptionSimilar to adult, but first-year male tends to have paler and duller blue feathers with brown or buff tips, especially on head, nape, and back, resulting in variable dull blue-brown, blotchy appearance.