The Small Niltava has blue-purple plumage in males and mainly brown and rufous plumage in females. In Hong Kong it is a rare autumn migrant and a scarce winter visitor to wooded areas.
Males are purple-blue from crown to tail, with pale blue on the forehead, rump, and side of the neck. Females have brown crowns and upperparts, rufous wings and tail, and a pale blue neck patch that varies in prominence.
It is solitary and unobtrusive, catching insects by sallying from a low perch into undergrowth and bushes. It may sometimes join a loose bird wave with other species.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.