Brown-mandibled aracari

The ivory-billed aracari is 36 to 45 cm (14 to 18 in) long and weighs 120 to 160 g (4.2 to 5.6 oz). The two subspecies (and the brown-mandibled species) do not differ appreciably in length, weight, or plumage but only in bill color. Adult males have a black cap above a chestnut head and throat, maroon-red nape and upper back, green lower back, and red rump. They have a narrow black band under the throat, a wide red band on the upper breast, a wide black band on the lower breast, a yellow belly, and green thighs. Adult females have a dark brown cap and a narrower black band below the throat than males.

The nominate subspecies' bill is mostly yellow, with a deep red to brown line on the maxilla that is broad at the base and tapers to a black tip. It has red, black, and ivory markings along its edge that resemble teeth. P. a. flavirostris' bill has a yellow to ivory maxilla with an orange spot under the nostril, black and white "teeth", and a yellow to ivory mandible with a narrow orange-brown line down its middle.