Adults have a light brown crown, a bluish forehead and hindneck, a maroon face, and whitish ear coverts.

[5][6] The white-eared parakeet is found in eastern Brazil where it occurs from Bahia south to Rio de Janeiro state.

It inhabits the interior and edges of tropical evergreen forest, clearings with scattered trees, and also shaded cacao plantations.

[5] The white-eared parakeet feeds primarily on seeds and fruits but also includes berries, nuts, and possibly insects and flowers in its diet.

In captivity it lays a clutch of five to nine eggs; the female alone incubates for 27 days and fledging occurs about five weeks after hatch.