The reddish colour of its coat gives the red deer its name, also known as red deer among hunters. The colour of the coat varies throughout the year. In the summer months it is a reddish-brown hazel colour. By winter it turns greyish yellow to greyish brown. The winter coat is also shaggier and has a dense woolly coat underneath. Males and females differ in their physical development. While the female is already fully grown at around two years of age, the male only reaches its final size between the seventh and eighth year of life.

Its large, widely branched antlers make it particularly striking in appearance. These are worn exclusively by the male members of his species. The almost majestic-looking headdress, also known as the "forehead weapon" among experts, also earns it the nickname "king of the woods". In Central Europe, the red deer is one of the largest wild animals living in the wild.