Lesser Jardine's parrots are wonderful little birds that are very affectionate and playful. They are relatively quiet birds with musical calls. They can talk quite well and are usually quite understandable. They also like to imitate strange noises around the house, such as the telephone, doorbell, microwave beep, etc. Jardine's parrots are shy birds that like things to be calm and predictable. They do not do well with a lot of chaos and noise.

They do love to be included in what is going on, though, and enjoy snuggling under you chin as you read or watch television.  Their feathers are brilliant iridescent emerald green edged in black, and they have a bright orange patch on the top of their head, on the bend of their wings and on their legs. They have dark lower beaks and horn-coloured upper beaks with grey tips. We raise the subspecies called "Lesser Jardine's Parrot", Poicephalus gulielmi fatiensis, distinguished from other members of the Jardine's parrot family by their slightly smaller size and significantly larger amount of brilliant orange colouring.

Lesser Jardine's parrots are typically 10-11 inches in length and weigh 200 to 220 grams.

Jardine's parrots have powerful beaks that are good for chewing even the toughest toys and for opening almonds. If they are startled or afraid they can give a very hard bite; otherwise they tend to be very gentle. Jardine's parrots need to be raised in an environment where they feel completely safe; any trauma at a young age can cause long-range problems like biting. Because they are so shy, Jardine's parrots need to be very comfortable with a new person before they will allow cuddling.