The red-winged parrot was formally described in 1788 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae.

[2] Gmelin based his description on the "crimson-winged parrot" that had been described in 1781 by the English ornithologist John Latham in his A General Synopsis of Birds.

[7] Two subspecies are recognised:[5] Naturally-occurring hybrids with the Australian king parrot (Alisterus scapularis) have been recorded from Bell in southeastern Queensland.

The male birds have a black nape, lower blue back and rump with a yellow tip on their tail, an orange bill and grey feet.

Also distinguishing the females are dark irises and the lower back is a light blue colour.

[citation needed] Their diet typical consists of seeds from eucalyptus, acacia, berries, flowers, and insects.