Blue-tailed Bee-eater vs Scarlet Macaw

Merops philippinus compared with Ara macao

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Blue-tailed Bee-eater	Scarlet Macaw
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Aves (Birds)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Coraciiformes (Coraciiformes)	Psittaciformes (Parrots)
Family	Meropidae	Psittacidae (True Parrots)
Genus	Merops	Ara (Macaws)
Species	Merops philippinus	Ara macao

Evolutionary Relationship

Blue-tailed Bee-eater and Scarlet Macaw share a common ancestor at the Class level: Aves. (Birds)

Conservation Status

Blue-tailed Bee-eater

LC — Least Concern

Scarlet Macaw

LC — Least Concern

Population: ~50.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Blue-tailed Bee-eater	Scarlet Macaw
Diet	—	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	—	50 years
Average Length	—	85 cm
Average Weight	—	1.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Blue-tailed Bee-eater

Habitat

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

Range

Found across Asia (Taiwan) and Europe (5 countries).

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.

Blue-tailed Bee-eater

The Blue-tailed Bee-eater (Merops philippinus) is a species in the genus Merops. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 5 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇫🇷 France 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇳🇴 Norway 🇬🇧 United Kingdom