vs Scarlet Macaw

Cortinarius urbicus compared with Ara macao

Key Differences

• is Data Deficient while Scarlet Macaw is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank		Scarlet Macaw
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)	Psittaciformes (Parrots)
Family	Cortinariaceae	Psittacidae (True Parrots)
Genus	Cortinarius	Ara (Macaws)
Species	Cortinarius urbicus	Ara macao

Conservation Status

DD — Data Deficient

Scarlet Macaw

LC — Least Concern

Population: ~50.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Habitat

Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

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.

Cortinarius urbicus is a robust, fibrous-capped mushroom in the Cortinarius genus with a silky brown cap and rust-spored gills at maturity. It inhabits coniferous and mixed forests, forming ectomycorrhizal associations with spruce, pine, and occasionally deciduous trees. This fungus obtains nutrients by trading sugars with its tree partners in forest soil environments.

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