Beard Lichen vs Scarlet Macaw

Usnea subgracilis compared with Ara macao

Key Differences

• Beard Lichen is Not Evaluated while Scarlet Macaw is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Beard Lichen	Scarlet Macaw
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Lecanoromycetes (Lecanoromycetes)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Lecanorales (Lecanorales)	Psittaciformes (Parrots)
Family	Parmeliaceae	Psittacidae (True Parrots)
Genus	Usnea	Ara (Macaws)
Species	Usnea subgracilis	Ara macao

Conservation Status

Beard Lichen

NE — Not Evaluated

Scarlet Macaw

LC — Least Concern

Population: ~50.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Beard Lichen

Habitat

Native to Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Norway and United States.

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.

Beard Lichen

The Beard Lichen (Usnea subgracilis) is a species in the genus Usnea. Native to Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

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 1 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway