Chestnut-fronted Macaw vs Red-crested Cardinal

Ara severus compared with Paroaria coronata

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Chestnut-fronted Macaw	Red-crested Cardinal
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Aves (Birds)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Psittaciformes (Parrots)	Passeriformes (Songbirds)
Family	Psittacidae (True Parrots)	Thraupidae
Genus	Ara (Macaws)	Paroaria
Species	Ara severus	Paroaria coronata

Evolutionary Relationship

Chestnut-fronted Macaw and Red-crested Cardinal share a common ancestor at the Class level: Aves. (Birds)

Conservation Status

Chestnut-fronted Macaw

LC — Least Concern

Red-crested Cardinal

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Chestnut-fronted Macaw	Red-crested Cardinal
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Chestnut-fronted Macaw

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (Belgium, Norway), North America (United States), and South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela).

Red-crested Cardinal

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Japan, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates), Europe (8 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Chile, Ecuador, Peru).

Chestnut-fronted Macaw

A medium-sized macaw of Central and South American tropical forests from southern Mexico to Bolivia and Brazil, chestnut-fronted macaws have predominantly green plumage with a chestnut forehead, red shoulder patches, and blue flight feathers. The smallest of the true macaws, they inhabit forest edges, savannas, and secondary woodland and often raid crops, making them locally unpopular with farmers. They are popular aviary birds, but wild populations face pressure from trapping and deforestation.

Red-crested Cardinal

A striking medium-sized bird with brilliant red crest, white face, and grey body native to South America from Bolivia and Brazil to Argentina, red-crested cardinals have been introduced to Hawaii and other Pacific islands, becoming iconic garden birds in Honolulu. They inhabit dense shrubs, grassland edges, and suburban gardens, foraging on seeds and small insects. Despite their name and superficial resemblance, they are not closely related to North American cardinals but belong to the tanager family.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇪🇨 Ecuador 🇳🇴 Norway 🇺🇸 United States