Common Periwinkle vs Scarlet Macaw

Littorina littorea compared with Ara macao

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Periwinkle	Scarlet Macaw
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Mollusca (Mollusks)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Gastropoda (Gastropoda)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Littorinimorpha (Littorinimorpha)	Psittaciformes (Parrots)
Family	Littorinidae	Psittacidae (True Parrots)
Genus	Littorina	Ara (Macaws)
Species	Littorina littorea	Ara macao

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Common Periwinkle

LC — Least Concern

Scarlet Macaw

LC — Least Concern

Population: ~50.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Periwinkle

Habitat

Typically found in terrestrial and aquatic habitats including forests and freshwater.

Range

Found across Europe (4 countries) and North America (Canada, United States).

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 Periwinkle

Common Periwinkle (Littorina littorea) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.

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