According to the IOC World Bird List, it is still considered to be a subspecies of the red-lored amazon,[3] although Birdlife International considers it to be a separate species, as Amazona lilacina[4] - as does the International Union for Conservation of Nature for the purposes of the IUCN Red List, rating the lilacine amazon as critically endangered.

Like the red-lored amazon, it has red lores and yellow cheeks; its distinguishing features include a fully black beak, and lilac-tipped feathers on its crown.

Like most parrots, it possesses a powerful beak; its dexterous tongue also helps to break down and consume a diverse suite of foodstuffs.

The hen will lay two to four eggs in a tree cavity and incubate them for a period of three weeks; the young fledge about two months after hatching.

[7] The lilacine amazon is native to the tropical dry forests of western Ecuador north of the Gulf of Guayaquil, extending to Nariño in extreme south-western Colombia adjacent to the Ecuadorian border, where it intersects with the subspecies A. a.