Fourspike heliotrope vs Scarlet Macaw

Euploca procumbens compared with Ara macao

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Fourspike heliotrope	Scarlet Macaw
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Boraginales (Boraginales)	Psittaciformes (Parrots)
Family	Heliotropiaceae	Psittacidae (True Parrots)
Genus	Euploca	Ara (Macaws)
Species	Euploca procumbens	Ara macao

Conservation Status

Fourspike heliotrope

LC — Least Concern

Scarlet Macaw

LC — Least Concern

Population: ~50.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Fourspike heliotrope

Habitat

Inhabits tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests within the Australasia biogeographic realm.

Range

Distributed across Brazil, Cuba, Micronesia, Solomon Islands, and 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.

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.