[2][8] The lower thighs and the center of the abdomen are orange-red, and it is thought that the extent and hue of the red plumage indicates the quality of the individual as a breeding partner and parent.

[12] The lower back, upper thighs, rump, vent and flanks are yellow, and the wing coverts olive green.

[8] Immature birds look like adults but with a horn coloured upper mandible patch and a pale grey iris.

[2] Habitats include montane grassy shrubland, Patagonian steppes, arid lowland, woodland savanna, and the plains of the Gran Chaco.

[2] The diet of the burrowing parrot comprises seeds, berries, fruits, and possibly vegetable matter,[8] and they can be seen feeding on the ground or in trees and shrubs.

[8] Specifically, burrowing parrots have been observed feeding on the fruit from various species such as the red crowberry (Empetrum rubrum), Chilean palo verde (Geoffroea decorticans), Lycium salsum, pepper trees (Schinus sp.

[2] In the winter, the burrowing parrot feeds predominantly on seeds from cultivated crops and wild plants such as thistles, as well as the Patagonian oak (Nothofagus obliqua) and the Carboncillo (Cordia decandra) in the Chilean foothills.

[14] In the absence of acceptable ravines or cliffs to use as nesting sites, burrowing parrots will use anthropogenic substrates such as quarries, wells and pits.

Chicks begin to fledge in late December until February, approximately eight weeks after hatching,[8] and the fledglings depend on their parents for up to four months.

[18] In order to cope with an unpredictable climate, burrowing parrots increase their body mass and decrease their basal metabolic rate (BMR) in the winter in order to conserve energy, insulate against cold ambient temperatures and to survive reductions in food availability, in concurrence with other birds found in the southern hemisphere.

[19] The burrowing parrot currently has an overall conservation status of least concern according to the IUCN Red List, but populations are currently declining, due to exploitation for the wildlife trade and persecution as a crop pest.

[2] The Mapuche people of the province of Neuquén in the Patagonian Andes celebrate the annual fledging of burrowing parrots with a festival.

As a large parakeet, it requires plenty of living space and the opportunity to fly on a regular basis in order to thrive.