Wingspan 11.5 to 14.5 mm. In certain lights this species shows the same brassy metallic look as other family members.

Almost identical to Coleophora alcyonipennella. These two species are not separable with certainty using external features so identification of likely specimens should be by dissection.

Records for this species must be confirmed by gen det.

It inhabits grassy areas where the food plant, clover (Trifolium sp.), is abundant. 

There are some indications that this species might be univoltine in contrast to C. alcyonipennella, so it is particularly worth checking specimens found in May and June.

The larvae feed on the seeds of clover from within a cryptic case.

Thought to be uncommon in Britain, although the distribution of this species is not well known, possibly due to difficulty of identification and confusion with Coleophora alcyonipennella. In the Butterfly Conservation's Microlepidoptera Report 2011 this species was classified as Nationally Scarce B.

Rarely recorded in Leicestershire and Rutland.