The cirlgors reach a size between 14 and 18 cm. The males and females have a different plumage. The male has a chestnut-brown back and chest strap in the spring, a yellowish belly and a brown-olive-colored beak. The head and chest are gray-green and have a black throat. Also has a yellowish eyebrow line and a yellowish stripe that runs under the eye, from the beak base to the neck. The male is slightly gray in the autumn. His wing length is 75-84 mm.