The adult has an iridescent purple and green crown, black wing and uppertail coverts, yellowish red iris, yellow bill, red orbital skin, white or grey chin and ear coverts, and purplish feet.
It has a dull chestnut or glossed purple green below, depends on subspecies.
The nominate form C. v. vitiensis from Fiji has a dull underparts, while subspecies C. v. halmaheira of Maluku Islands has the most iridescent plumage.
The metallic pigeon is distributed to tropical forests of eastern Indonesia, the Philippines, New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Fiji, New Caledonia, Samoa and surrounding southwest Pacific islands.
Widespread and common throughout its large range, the metallic pigeon is evaluated as being of Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.