The adult male is iridescent green above and whitish below with green sides. The throat is reddish-purple and blue, but often appears blackish. The tail is long, black, and forked, with long, pointed outer feathers that curve inwards. Females are green above and have a white throat, while the rest of the underparts are mostly very pale buff, darkest on the belly and thighs. The tail is short and slightly graduated with green inner feathers. The outer feathers are black with a rufous base and white tips. Immature males are similar to the female, but have a mottled throat and may have elongated outer tail feathers.