[5] The diagnostic features of the species are the short wing and tail; white edging to tertials converging broadly at the tip, versus tertial tips black to only narrowly white in A. tiphia[4] and a smaller and shorter bill than A. tiphia from any part of India.

[6] There are some races of the common iora that may appear similar to this species:[7] Specimens showing nigrolutea characters collected within the range of Aegithina tiphia may be variants of the latter; such specimens have been obtained from southern Bihar, West Bengal, Khandesh, Tamil Nadu and Mysore.

It is a problem that presents a challenge to geneticists and field workers alikeSalim Ali collected a specimen in the Biligirirangan Hills which was commented upon by Hugh Whistler:[9]One of the Biligirirangan birds, male, 15 September 1934 from Satyamangala (2,000' [600 m]) and evidently by the softness of the skull and the narrow tail feathers an immature bird, could not be distinguished from A. nigrolutea as the central tail is washed with white.

It is evidently an interesting case of individual variation showing how nigrolutea had its origin.Whistler's comments have been subsequently debated and Daniel Marien notes that the southern boundary of the species is not well understood and further notes that the Biligirirangans specimen commented upon by Whistler was identified positively by Biswamoy Biswas as A. nigrolutea.

Adult females of both species are entirely green above, except for a black tail with white central feathers in A. nigrolutea, and yellow (dull in winter, brighter in spring) below.