The Scarlet Robins are stocky passerines with large heads. They range in size from 12 to 13.5 cm in length and weigh between 12 and 14 g. The plumage is sexually dimorphic. The males have black heads, backs and tails, black and white wings, a red breast and white belly, forehead and rump. The female matches the male in pattern but is duller, with brown plumage instead of black, a much more washed out red on the breast and a buff belly. Juvenile birds resemble the female without the reddish wash on the breast.