Bronze-winged Parrot vs Scarlet Macaw

Pionus chalcopterus compared with Ara macao

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bronze-winged Parrot	Scarlet Macaw
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	Pionus	Ara (Macaws)
Species	Pionus chalcopterus	Ara macao

Evolutionary Relationship

Bronze-winged Parrot and Scarlet Macaw share a common ancestor at the Family level: Psittacidae. (True Parrots)

Conservation Status

Bronze-winged Parrot

LC — Least Concern

Scarlet Macaw

LC — Least Concern

Population: ~50.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bronze-winged Parrot	Scarlet Macaw
Diet	—	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	—	50 years
Average Length	—	85 cm
Average Weight	—	1.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Bronze-winged Parrot

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, and Venezuela.

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.

Bronze-winged Parrot

A stocky, distinctive Pionus parrot with dark sooty-brown and blue-purple plumage with bronze iridescence on the wing coverts, bronze-winged parrots inhabit humid Andean forests of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela at elevations up to 2,500 meters. They are one of the least colorful but most charismatic Pionus species, known for their quiet, affectionate temperament in captivity. They feed on fruit, berries, and seeds in pairs and small groups in montane forest.

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 4 countries:

🇨🇴 Colombia 🇪🇨 Ecuador 🇳🇴 Norway 🇻🇪 Venezuela