Adult males are bright scarlet from head to belly, while females are mainly olive and look very different. The finch feeds on plant matter in Himalayan mountain forests.
The adult male is bright scarlet from head to belly, with black wings and tail edged in red. The female is olive with dark streaks and looks very different.
It feeds on seeds, buds, and berries in montane coniferous and broadleaf forests, especially at forest edges. In autumn and winter it may move into bamboo and oak undergrowth and descend to valleys.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.