This partridge appears grey above and chestnut below with bright red bill and legs and the upperparts finely barred in black and white.

In flight the pattern of dark brown primaries and secondaries with a narrow trailing white margin make them somewhat like the much larger Tibetan snowcock.

[11] A subspecies, L. l. major was described by Richard Meinertzhagen from Sichuan while L. l. callipygia from south Kansu was noted by Stegmann in 1938, but these are not usually recognized.

[12][13][14] The species has been retained in this monotypic genus due to various peculiarities including the tarsus feathering and the lack of clear sexual dimorphism in plumage.

[15] Snow partridge is found in the Himalayas from Pakistan to Arunachal Pradesh along the higher ranges, mainly 3000 to 5000 m (rarely below 2000 m) altitude.

[3] The species is found over a large area is generally considered to be of low conservation concern.

It is hunted to some extent, due to its habit of being more approachable than snowcock and has declined in population in some areas.

[7] The usual habitat is alpine pastures, open grassy hillsides with grass, lichens, moss, ferns and rhododendrons.

About 3 to 5 eggs, pale yellow in color and slightly glossy with reddish-brown markings on the rounded end,[10] are laid, and the female incubates while the male stands sentinel.