Adult males tend to be red or orange in colour, and females green or yellow, but there is much variation.

They measure 16 to 18 cm long and span 27 to 31 cm across the wings. It is quite bulky and heavy weighing 44 to 58 grams.

They are specialist feeders of conifer cones, and their unusual bill shape is a genectic adaptation to assist in the extraction of the seeds from the cone.