Bitter Nightshade vs Scarlet Macaw

Solanum dulcamara compared with Ara macao

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bitter Nightshade	Scarlet Macaw
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Solanales (Solanales)	Psittaciformes (Parrots)
Family	Solanaceae	Psittacidae (True Parrots)
Genus	Solanum	Ara (Macaws)
Species	Solanum dulcamara	Ara macao

Conservation Status

Bitter Nightshade

LC — Least Concern

Scarlet Macaw

LC — Least Concern

Population: ~50.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Bitter Nightshade

Habitat

Inhabits deserts and xeric shrublands spanning the Afrotropic and Palearctic realms.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (India, Israel, Yemen), Europe (9 countries), North America (Canada, United States), and Oceania and the Pacific (Australia, New Zealand).

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.

Bitter Nightshade

The Bitter Nightshade (Solanum dulcamara) is a species in the genus Solanum. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Inhabits deserts and xeric shrublands spanning the Afrotropic and Palearctic realms.

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.