Blue-and-yellow Macaw vs Yellow-crowned Parrot / Yellow-crowned Amazon

Ara ararauna compared with Amazona ochrocephala

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Blue-and-yellow Macaw	Yellow-crowned Parrot / Yellow-crowned Amazon
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Aves (Birds)	Aves (Birds)
Order same	Psittaciformes (Parrots)	Psittaciformes (Parrots)
Family same	Psittacidae (True Parrots)	Psittacidae (True Parrots)
Genus	Ara (Macaws)	Amazona
Species	Ara ararauna	Amazona ochrocephala

Evolutionary Relationship

Blue-and-yellow Macaw and Yellow-crowned Parrot / Yellow-crowned Amazon share a common ancestor at the Family level: Psittacidae. (True Parrots)

Conservation Status

Blue-and-yellow Macaw

LC — Least Concern

Yellow-crowned Parrot / Yellow-crowned Amazon

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Blue-and-yellow Macaw	Yellow-crowned Parrot / Yellow-crowned Amazon
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).

Yellow-crowned Parrot / Yellow-crowned Amazon

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (7 countries), North America (Barbados, United States), and South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela).

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.

Yellow-crowned Parrot / Yellow-crowned Amazon

A large, robust amazon parrot found across a broad range from Mexico and Panama through the Amazon basin to Bolivia and Paraguay, yellow-crowned amazons are predominantly green with a variable yellow crown. They inhabit forest, woodland, and savanna and are adaptable enough to thrive in agricultural areas. Multiple subspecies are recognized with differing degrees of yellow on the head. Highly regarded as pet and aviary birds for their speech ability and social temperament.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 9 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇨🇴 Colombia 🇪🇨 Ecuador 🇫🇷 France 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇳🇴 Norway 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 🇺🇸 United States 🇻🇪 Venezuela