Basketgrass vs Scarlet Macaw

Oplismenus hirtellus compared with Ara macao

Key Differences

Basketgrass is Not Evaluated while Scarlet Macaw is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Basketgrass	Scarlet Macaw
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Liliopsida (Monocots)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Poales (Grasses)	Psittaciformes (Parrots)
Family	Poaceae (Grass Family)	Psittacidae (True Parrots)
Genus	Oplismenus	Ara (Macaws)
Species	Oplismenus hirtellus	Ara macao

Conservation Status

Basketgrass

NE — Not Evaluated

Scarlet Macaw

LC — Least Concern

Population: ~50.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Basketgrass

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (4 countries), Europe (5 countries), North America (4 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (7 countries), and South America (Brazil, Colombia).

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.

Basketgrass

The Basketgrass (Oplismenus hirtellus) is a species in the genus Oplismenus. Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes. Its range includes Belgium, Brazil, Colombia, Comoros, and El Salvador.

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.