 Measuring around 10 cm (4 in) in length, the black-throated finch has a short black bill, lores, and throat, sharply delineated from the rest of the pale grey head.The wings, breast and belly are pale pinkish brown, and the short tail is black, while the rump is black in northern forms and white in southern.The vocalisation of "P. cincta" is comparable to that of the sister species "Poephila acuticauda", although lower in tone and slightly less simple in the harmonic structures.