Cook's Holly vs Scarlet Macaw

Ilex cookii compared with Ara macao

Key Differences

Cook's Holly is Critically Endangered while Scarlet Macaw is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cook's Holly	Scarlet Macaw
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Aquifoliales (Aquifoliales)	Psittaciformes (Parrots)
Family	Aquifoliaceae	Psittacidae (True Parrots)
Genus	Ilex	Ara (Macaws)
Species	Ilex cookii	Ara macao

Conservation Status

Cook's Holly

CR — Critically Endangered

Scarlet Macaw

LC — Least Concern

Population: ~50.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cook's Holly	Scarlet Macaw
Diet	—	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	—	50 years
Average Length	—	85 cm
Average Weight	—	1.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Cook's Holly

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

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.

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.