Fly Agaric vs Swallow-tailed Bee-eater

Amanita muscaria compared with Merops hirundineus

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Fly Agaric	Swallow-tailed Bee-eater
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)	Coraciiformes (Coraciiformes)
Family	Agaricaceae (Agarics)	Meropidae
Genus	Amanita (Amanitas)	Merops
Species	Amanita muscaria	Merops hirundineus

Conservation Status

Fly Agaric

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Swallow-tailed Bee-eater

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Fly Agaric	Swallow-tailed Bee-eater
Diet	Decomposer	—
Average Lifespan	1 years	—
Average Length	20 cm	—
Average Weight	100 g	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Fly Agaric

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (4 countries), North America (United States), Oceania and the Pacific (New Zealand), and South America (Brazil, Chile, Colombia).

Swallow-tailed Bee-eater

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Found in Norway.

Fly Agaric

Among the most iconic and recognizable fungi on Earth, fly agaric mushrooms display striking red caps with white flecked warts across boreal forests of the Northern Hemisphere. Despite their fairy-tale appearance, they contain potent psychoactive compounds including muscimol and ibotenic acid and are moderately toxic. They form critical mycorrhizal symbioses with birch, pine, and spruce trees, exchanging mineral nutrients for carbon and playing essential roles in boreal forest nutrient cycling.