The tertial wing feathers have pale tips. A rufous-buff patch on the tertial wing feathers is conspicuous in flight. Both sexes have bright green upperparts, with narrow yellow tips to the tertial feathers. In many respects, including long tertial feathers, larks resemble other ground birds such as pipits. The female also lacks the tertial patch. There is also a conspicuous white wingstripe and white edges to the tertial feathers. The tertial feathers are also black with a blue outer edge. Furthermore, the young birds have narrower white edges to their tertial feathers than adults do. There are no elongated tertial feathers as in some other crane species. Their distinctive pink tertial feathers of the adults give them their name. The secondaries were brownish-black with pale edges, and the tertial feathers had a rufous wash.