Gray-backed Tern vs Scarlet Macaw

Onychoprion lunatus compared with Ara macao

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Gray-backed Tern	Scarlet Macaw
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Aves (Birds)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Charadriiformes (Charadriiformes)	Psittaciformes (Parrots)
Family	Laridae	Psittacidae (True Parrots)
Genus	Onychoprion	Ara (Macaws)
Species	Onychoprion lunatus	Ara macao

Evolutionary Relationship

Gray-backed Tern and Scarlet Macaw share a common ancestor at the Class level: Aves. (Birds)

Conservation Status

Gray-backed Tern

LC — Least Concern

Scarlet Macaw

LC — Least Concern

Population: ~50.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Gray-backed Tern

Habitat

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

Range

Found in Norway.

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:

🇳🇴 Norway