 Many individuals display the pitta family's characteristic dark streaks, which can be arrow-shaped or stripes, through the middle of the feathers of the upper part of the body; examination of study skins have found around 60% of rainbow pittas have them.This varies somewhat regionally, as birds from Darwin were found to have none.Uniquely in the pitta family the streaks are not dusky or blackish but are instead bronze-coloured in this species.