Elongated white “whiskers” and brows give this elegant species the appearance of a wise old man. Long-tailed and long-winged, like a cross between a swift and a swallow. Glossy brownish-olive with glossy blue-black wings and head. Male has chestnut ear patches, while the female has bluish ones. Sallies from exposed perches in the canopy and along clearings in lowland and foothill wet forests. Gives squeaky, excited-sounding calls and high-pitched chattering.