The plumage is deep blue with shining pale blue spots on the head, throat, and breast. It lives by wooded streams and can also occur in leafy urban areas.
The deep blue plumage has shining pale blue spots on the head, throat, breast, and back. The nominate subspecies in China, including Hong Kong, has a black bill; the other five subspecies have yellow bills.
Along forested streams in Hong Kong, it moves alone among rocks and gives a clear whistling call around dawn and dusk. It searches the ground and leaf litter for insects and sometimes eats fruit.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.