Green wattle vs Scarlet Macaw

Acacia decurrens compared with Ara macao

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Green wattle	Scarlet Macaw
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Fabales (Legumes & Allies)	Psittaciformes (Parrots)
Family	Fabaceae	Psittacidae (True Parrots)
Genus	Acacia	Ara (Macaws)
Species	Acacia decurrens	Ara macao

Conservation Status

Green wattle

LC — Least Concern

Scarlet Macaw

LC — Least Concern

Population: ~50.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Green wattle

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, among 5 distinct biome types spanning the Afrotropic and Indomalayan and Neotropic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (7 countries), Asia (6 countries), Europe (6 countries), North America (Haiti, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Fiji, Micronesia, New Zealand), and South America (4 countries).

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 7 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇨🇴 Colombia 🇪🇨 Ecuador 🇫🇷 France 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 🇻🇪 Venezuela