Big Bluestem vs Scarlet Macaw

Andropogon gerardi compared with Ara macao

Key Differences

• Big Bluestem is Not Evaluated while Scarlet Macaw is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Big Bluestem	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	Andropogon	Ara (Macaws)
Species	Andropogon gerardi	Ara macao

Conservation Status

Big Bluestem

NE — Not Evaluated

Scarlet Macaw

LC — Least Concern

Population: ~50.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Big Bluestem

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Bhutan, Canada, France, Sweden, 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.

Big Bluestem

The Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardi) is a species in the genus Andropogon. Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

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:

🇫🇷 France