Blue-and-yellow Macaw vs

Ara ararauna compared with Usnea cornuta

Key Differences

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

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Blue-and-yellow Macaw
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Lecanoromycetes (Lecanoromycetes)
Order	Psittaciformes (Parrots)	Lecanorales (Lecanorales)
Family	Psittacidae (True Parrots)	Parmeliaceae
Genus	Ara (Macaws)	Usnea
Species	Ara ararauna	Usnea cornuta

Conservation Status

Blue-and-yellow Macaw

LC — Least Concern

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Blue-and-yellow Macaw
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).

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Norway, Portugal, and Sweden. 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.

Usnea cornuta is a fruticose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae, assessed as Near Threatened (NT). It forms shrubby, branching thalli that hang from tree branches and twigs, typically in humid forest environments. Like all Usnea species, it is highly sensitive to air pollution, particularly sulfur dioxide, making it a useful bioindicator of air quality.