Chestnut-fronted Macaw vs Scarlet Macaw

Ara severus compared with Ara macao

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Chestnut-fronted Macaw	Scarlet Macaw
Kingdom same	Animalia (حيوانات)	Animalia (حيوانات)
Phylum same	Chordata (حبليات)	Chordata (حبليات)
Class same	Aves (طيور)	Aves (طيور)
Order same	Psittaciformes (ببغاء)	Psittaciformes (ببغاء)
Family same	Psittacidae (True Parrots)	Psittacidae (True Parrots)
Genus same	Ara (Macaws)	Ara (Macaws)
Species	Ara severus	Ara macao

Evolutionary Relationship

Chestnut-fronted Macaw and Scarlet Macaw share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Ara. (Macaws)

Conservation Status

Chestnut-fronted Macaw

LC — Least Concern

Scarlet Macaw

LC — Least Concern

Population: ~50.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Chestnut-fronted Macaw	Scarlet Macaw
Diet	—	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	—	50 years
Average Length	—	85 cm
Average Weight	—	1.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Chestnut-fronted Macaw

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (Belgium, Norway), North America (United States), and South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela).

Scarlet Macaw

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, forests, and vegetated habitats.

Range

Found across Europe (5 countries) and South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela). Population trends indicate a declining trajectory in parts of its range.

Chestnut-fronted Macaw

A medium-sized macaw of Central and South American tropical forests from southern Mexico to Bolivia and Brazil, chestnut-fronted macaws have predominantly green plumage with a chestnut forehead, red shoulder patches, and blue flight feathers. The smallest of the true macaws, they inhabit forest edges, savannas, and secondary woodland and often raid crops, making them locally unpopular with farmers. They are popular aviary birds, but wild populations face pressure from trapping and deforestation.

Scarlet Macaw

One of the most brilliantly colored birds in the Americas, scarlet macaws display vivid red, yellow, and blue plumage with wingspans reaching 1 meter. Found in humid lowland forests from Mexico to Bolivia, they are highly intelligent, long-lived — up to 75 years — and form lifelong pair bonds. They travel long distances to clay licks where they consume mineral-rich soil to detoxify seeds. Listed as Least Concern but locally threatened by habitat loss and the pet trade.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 5 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇨🇴 Colombia 🇪🇨 Ecuador 🇳🇴 Norway 🇻🇪 Venezuela