Common alder midget vs Scarlet Macaw

Phyllonorycter rajella compared with Ara macao

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common alder midget	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	Gracillariidae	Psittacidae (True Parrots)
Genus	Phyllonorycter	Ara (Macaws)
Species	Phyllonorycter rajella	Ara macao

Evolutionary Relationship

Common alder midget and Scarlet Macaw share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Common alder midget

LC — Least Concern

Scarlet Macaw

LC — Least Concern

Population: ~50.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common alder midget	Scarlet Macaw
Diet	—	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	—	50 years
Average Length	—	85 cm
Average Weight	—	1.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common alder midget

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Europe (6 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.

Common alder midget

<em>Phyllonorycter rajella</em>, commonly known as the Common Alder Midget, is a small moth in the family Gracillariidae. This species is assessed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List and is distributed across Europe, with records from countries including Germany, the United Kingdom, and several Scandinavian nations. As its common name suggests, the larval stage of this moth is closely associated with alder trees (Alnus species), within whose leaves the caterpillars create characteristic leaf mines. Adult moths are small with intricately patterned wings typical of gracillariid moths, often featuring metallic or golden markings. The species typically completes one or more generations per year, with adults emerging in spring and summer. Leaf-mining activity by the larvae produces distinctive blotch or tentiform mines visible on the undersides of alder leaves. The Common Alder Midget is generally considered a specialist of riparian and wetland habitats where alder trees commonly grow. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.

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:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇳🇴 Norway