Body is mostly iridescent green below and dark blue above and on the wings, with diagnostic bright yellow legs and a bright silver head with pinkish yellow-tipped bill. Most often seen in flight in small flocks over forest canopy at dusk and dawn, where flocking behavior and combination of silver head and bright yellow legs are diagnostic. Seems to prefer primary and well developed secondary forest between sea level and 1300 meters of elevation, though more frequently seen in forest above 400 meters. Metallic Pigeon is superficially similar but has a dark cap and pink legs, whereas Yellow-legged Pigeon shows an entirely silver head and distinctly yellow legs. Metallic Pigeon also does not perform flock flights at dawn and dusk. Although mostly quiet, Yellow-legged sometimes utters a typical pigeon-like low-pitched “hooOO hooOO.”