The wing coverts are white with the primaries and tail black.

The adult male is deep violet, with a dark green back and wing coverts.

The species' common name comes from the sky-blue wing coverts.

The rest of the body is grey, with olive wing coverts and collar.

Both sexes show a broad deep blue colour on the wing coverts or shoulders.

The feathers on the back and the wing coverts have pale margins.

With the exception of the white wing coverts, the wings are black as the tail.

The whole bird is pure white except for the wing coverts which are colored.

The under wing coverts are bright yellow, although the extent of this is variable.

The wing coverts are a distinctive chestnut colour with some white bars.

The adults have a chestnut back and wing coverts, with the rest of the body mainly black.

The juvenile looks similar to adults, but has additional spots on the back, neck, and wing coverts.

It is distinguished from that species by its less buff body and wing coverts.

The adult female is olive brown above with the wing coverts edged grey.

The whitish body and wing coverts contrast with the dark flight feathers.

Primary fe4athers deep blue and innermost wing coverts red.

Its color is reddish brown, and ash; the wing coverts are tipped with white.

The primary wing coverts are also unusually long and give a fringed appearance.

Both morphs usually have dark brown upperparts and wing coverts.

Under wing coverts white, contrasting with black flight feathers.

The upper, major secondary wing coverts are rich iridescent copper.

The female has a more greenish body with some rusty spots on the wing coverts.

The back and wing coverts (feathers covering the base of its flight-feathers) are black.

The female has pea-green body plumage apart from the brown wing coverts.

The quills and wing coverts are whitish at the edges.