[4] It was earlier assigned as a subspecies of the Moupin pika (Ochotona thibetana) by Feag and Kao in 1974, Weston in 1982, and Honacki, Kinman, and Koeppl in 1982.

[4][5] However, according to morphometric and genetic studies, Forrest's pika is a separate species that is confined to the Gaoligong Mountains.

[8] Forrest's pika is similar to a small hare,[9] measuring 15.5 to 18.5 cm (6.1 to 7.3 in) in length, and weighing 110 to 148 g (3.9 to 5.2 oz).

In a few individuals, the spots form a dorsal collar on the nape and extend onto the face, but the forehead remains brown.

[10] The incisive foramen (funnel-shaped opening in the bony plate of the skull, located in the roof of the mouth, immediately behind the incisor teeth where blood vessels and nerves pass) is combined with the palatal foramina, and has a wavy edge.

[5] Forrest's pika inhabits high altitude mixed coniferous and broadleaf forests, and shrubland thickets.

[1][9] It is rarely found, and is one of the pika species endemic to central China, with no true population studies.

Subsequently, in 2011, a WWF-India team on an expedition to West Kameng, India reported sighting two black pikas at an altitude of 13,000 ft in the Thembang Bapu community-conserved forest area.

[1] In 1994, Forrest's pika was assessed as insufficiently known on the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species, and in 1996 its status was changed to near threatened.