Small, ornate parrotbill with a pale belly and a long gray eyebrow. Orange overall with dark wing panels and a variable amount of white on the face. Central Chinese birds have a white face patch, while southern Chinese and Himalayan birds are limited to a short and largely unnoticeable white stripe under the cheek. Moves in large flocks through bamboo stands in coniferous and mixed foothill and montane forests. Lacks the dark throat of Black-throated and Golden Parrotbills.