They are about 34 inches long. The forehead and forecrown are green with the remainder upperparts and upper side of tail a rich blue. They have creamy white cheeks and their underparts are yellow orange.
Macaws have huge strong grey-black bills.
This beak also serves as a hand, and is used extensively by the macaws when climbing. They are said to be able to exert about 40 pounds of pressure with their beak. They have four toes on each foot ending in a long curved toe nail. The two outer toes curve forward while the two inner toes curve backward. This gives the macaw an excellent grasp of its perch or tree limb.