Clouded Apollo vs Scarlet Macaw

Parnassius mnemosyne compared with Ara macao

Key Differences

• Clouded Apollo is Near Threatened while Scarlet Macaw is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Clouded Apollo	Scarlet Macaw
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Psittaciformes (Parrots)
Family	Papilionidae	Psittacidae (True Parrots)
Genus	Parnassius	Ara (Macaws)
Species	Parnassius mnemosyne	Ara macao

Evolutionary Relationship

Clouded Apollo and Scarlet Macaw share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Clouded Apollo

NT — Near Threatened

Scarlet Macaw

LC — Least Concern

Population: ~50.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Clouded Apollo	Scarlet Macaw
Diet	—	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	—	50 years
Average Length	—	85 cm
Average Weight	—	1.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Clouded Apollo

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Europe (33 countries). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

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.

Clouded Apollo

Clouded Apollo (Parnassius mnemosyne) is classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List. Close to qualifying as threatened, with populations that may become vulnerable without conservation action.

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:

🇫🇷 France 🇳🇴 Norway