It has been considered as a subspecies of the crimson sunbird (Aethopyga siparaja) but it does not have the central tail as elongated and is restricted in its distribution.

[2] The male has a scarlet throat and breast, while the rest of its under parts are uniformly grey.

A male who has not yet matured is similar to the female, but it has a dull scarlet throat and breast.

[3] The species is distributed mainly in the northern Western Ghats but has been reported from the Nilgiris.

[2] It was named after Irish-born zoologist Nicholas Aylward Vigors by Colonel William Henry Sykes.