Foxtail Smut vs Scarlet Macaw

Urocystis alopecuri compared with Ara macao

Key Differences

• Foxtail Smut is Not Evaluated while Scarlet Macaw is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Foxtail Smut	Scarlet Macaw
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Ustilaginomycetes (Ustilaginomycetes)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Urocystidales (Urocystidales)	Psittaciformes (Parrots)
Family	Urocystidaceae	Psittacidae (True Parrots)
Genus	Urocystis	Ara (Macaws)
Species	Urocystis alopecuri	Ara macao

Conservation Status

Foxtail Smut

NE — Not Evaluated

Scarlet Macaw

LC — Least Concern

Population: ~50.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Foxtail Smut

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Belgium 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.

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 1 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium