[citation needed] The chestnut-fronted macaw was formally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae.

[2] This macaw is now one of the eight extant species placed the genus Ara that was erected in 1799 by the French naturalist Bernard Germain de Lacépède.

The specific epithet severus is Latin meaning "grim", "cruel" or "stern".

[4] The chestnut-fronted or severe macaw is mostly green in colour with patches of red and blue on the wings.

This tendency can be curbed in captivity but the species requires significant handling to make a tame pet.