Chestnut-capped Piha vs Scarlet Macaw

Lipaugus weberi compared with Ara macao

Key Differences

• Chestnut-capped Piha is Endangered while Scarlet Macaw is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Chestnut-capped Piha	Scarlet Macaw
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Aves (Birds)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Passeriformes (Songbirds)	Psittaciformes (Parrots)
Family	Cotingidae	Psittacidae (True Parrots)
Genus	Lipaugus	Ara (Macaws)
Species	Lipaugus weberi	Ara macao

Evolutionary Relationship

Chestnut-capped Piha and Scarlet Macaw share a common ancestor at the Class level: Aves. (Birds)

Conservation Status

Chestnut-capped Piha

EN — Endangered

Scarlet Macaw

LC — Least Concern

Population: ~50.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Chestnut-capped Piha	Scarlet Macaw
Diet	—	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	—	50 years
Average Length	—	85 cm
Average Weight	—	1.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Chestnut-capped Piha

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Colombia and Norway. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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.

Chestnut-capped Piha

The Chestnut-capped Piha (Lipaugus weberi) is a species in the genus Lipaugus. It is currently classified as Endangered 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 2 countries:

🇨🇴 Colombia 🇳🇴 Norway