Appearance

The Golden Parakeet is a large, macaw-like psittacine. This species has a distinctive plumage pattern: it is mostly yellow (golden), with contrasting dark green wing feathers.

The Golden Parakeet is unmistakable in the field. These parakeets are unique in their range with their predominantly yellow plumage (Sick 1997). In Amazonia, the most similar species would be the Sun Parakeet (Aratinga solstitialis) or Sulfur-breasted Parakeet (Aratinga maculata), but both of these species differ in several features, including having more red in the front and head, and having blue in the tail and wings; also, Sun and Sulfur-breasted parakeets are smaller, they have a black bill and black tarsi, and have different vocalizations. Some individuals of Yellow-faced Parrot (Alipiopsitta xanthops) show a plumage predominantly yellow in the front, but the parrot has a short green tail, and the back is almost entirely green.

Adults

In the field, the yellow plumage of Golden Parakeets is conspicuous and notable at long distances. The dark green wing feathers sometimes are not noticeable depending on the parakeet posture.
Some individuals can appear more dirt yellow probably due to the excavation of nest cavities or also due the rain.

Juveniles

Golden Parakeet juveniles are streaked with variable patterns of pale green around the head and in the wing coverts. The bill apparently is also less robust. In feeding sites, juveniles assume a begging posture, erecting head feathers and opening wing and tail.

The Golden Parakeets juveniles attain the adult plumage in a molt when they are about one year old.

Golden Parakeets have a white bare orbital ring and flesh pink tarsi and toes.

Body length: 34 cm

Linear measurements (from Forshaw 1973):

Wing length, males: mean 208.6 mm (range 200-218 mm, n=10)

                    females: mean 211.8 mm (range 202-218 mm, n=10)

Tail length, males: mean 153.2 mm (range 141-165 mm, n=10)

                  females: mean 154.0 mm (range 146-162 mm, n=10)

Mass: mean 194 g (n=2: 192 g, 196 g, both in captivity; Dunning 2008)