Blue-and-yellow Macaw vs Common Eider

Ara ararauna compared with Somateria mollissima

Key Differences

• Blue-and-yellow Macaw is Least Concern while Common Eider is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Blue-and-yellow Macaw	Common Eider
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Aves (Birds)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Psittaciformes (Parrots)	Anseriformes (Anseriformes)
Family	Psittacidae (True Parrots)	Anatidae
Genus	Ara (Macaws)	Somateria
Species	Ara ararauna	Somateria mollissima

Evolutionary Relationship

Blue-and-yellow Macaw and Common Eider share a common ancestor at the Class level: Aves. (Birds)

Conservation Status

Blue-and-yellow Macaw

LC — Least Concern

Common Eider

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Blue-and-yellow Macaw	Common Eider
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Blue-and-yellow Macaw

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (5 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela).

Common Eider

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Found across Europe (5 countries) and North America (United States). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Blue-and-yellow Macaw

One of the most striking and widely kept macaw species, blue-and-yellow macaws display brilliant cobalt blue upper parts contrasting with vivid yellow underparts and green forehead. They inhabit forest, woodland, and savanna from eastern Panama through Venezuela, Brazil, and Bolivia to Peru and Ecuador. Highly intelligent, they live in pairs or small flocks, feeding on palm nuts, seeds, and fruit. Popular in aviculture for over 400 years, they can live 80+ years in captivity.

Common Eider

Common Eider (Somateria mollissima) is classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List. Close to qualifying as threatened, with populations that may become vulnerable without conservation action.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇳🇴 Norway 🇺🇸 United States