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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/42316
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

If you are writing third person, you can always just provide a brief description up front if you really feel you need one. **Otherwise, you'll need to find reasons for your POV character to notice these characteristics.** The key is to integrate them into details that would be meaningful to the character. "He wore an ill-fitting shirt that was clearly designed for a human, with crudely cut slits for his wings." "His underdeveloped pecs were barely more muscled than a puny human's would have been."

You should also ask yourself **"Why is it important that the reader know what this character looks like?"** The answer will give you the clues in how to present it.

One possibility you should consider is that it doesn't actually matter to the reader. If you're telling a strong story, and people respond well to it, **you might not need them all to be visualizing the same thing as you** for the story to be a success. On the other hand, if the character's physical characteristics play an actual part in the story, you can detail those when they actually come into play.

Original score: 6