Blue-and-yellow Macaw vs Fleecy Shield

Ara ararauna compared with Pluteus hispidulus

Key Differences

• Blue-and-yellow Macaw is Least Concern while Fleecy Shield is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Blue-and-yellow Macaw	Fleecy Shield
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Psittaciformes (Parrots)	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)
Family	Psittacidae (True Parrots)	Pluteaceae
Genus	Ara (Macaws)	Pluteus
Species	Ara ararauna	Pluteus hispidulus

Conservation Status

Blue-and-yellow Macaw

LC — Least Concern

Fleecy Shield

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Blue-and-yellow Macaw	Fleecy Shield
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).

Fleecy Shield

Habitat

Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇳🇴 Norway