The red-fronted parakeet is immediately recognizable by its distinctive, brightly-coloured plumage. Vivid crimson feathers appear on the forehead, crown and behind the eye, earning this bird its alternative common name of 'red-crowned parakeet'. This conspicuous red marking on the head contrasts with the predominantly green colour of the rest of the body, though yellow mutations are occasionally found in the wild. The underside of the wings are blue-violet, the beak is grey-blue, getting darker at the tip, and the eyes are orange. This bird has a unique and unusual voice, which is sometimes likened to the bleating of a goat.