Alpine Bladder-fern vs Scarlet Macaw

Cystopteris alpina compared with Ara macao

Key Differences

Alpine Bladder-fern is Near Threatened while Scarlet Macaw is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Alpine Bladder-fern	Scarlet Macaw
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Tracheophyta	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Polypodiopsida (Polypodiopsida)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Polypodiales (Polypodiales)	Psittaciformes (Parrots)
Family	Cystopteridaceae	Psittacidae (True Parrots)
Genus	Cystopteris	Ara (Macaws)
Species	Cystopteris alpina	Ara macao

Conservation Status

Alpine Bladder-fern

NT — Near Threatened

Scarlet Macaw

LC — Least Concern

Population: ~50.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Alpine Bladder-fern	Scarlet Macaw
Diet	—	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	—	50 years
Average Length	—	85 cm
Average Weight	—	1.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Alpine Bladder-fern

Habitat

Typically found in moist, shaded forest floors and tropical canopies.

Range

Distributed across Norway and Sweden. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

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.

Alpine Bladder-fern

The Alpine Bladder-fern (Cystopteris alpina) is a species in the genus Cystopteris. It is currently classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in moist, shaded forest floors and tropical canopies. Distributed across Norway and Sweden. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

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.