Purple Grenadiers are a dimorphic species, which essentially means that men and females may be distinguished by their distinctive plumages.
The males’ plumage is the more striking of the two. Patches of chestnut-brown color can be seen on the breast, belly, and under-tail coverts, especially in the center of the breast. Males tend to exhibit more brilliant purple coloring around the eyes, with an orange-red contrast in the iris and eye ring. The remainder of the upper sections are a colorless brown. Bills are mostly red, and legs range in color from light to dark grey.