Hispid starbur vs Scarlet Macaw

Acanthospermum hispidum compared with Ara macao

Key Differences

• Hispid starbur is Not Evaluated while Scarlet Macaw is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Hispid starbur	Scarlet Macaw
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Asterales (Daisies & Sunflowers)	Psittaciformes (Parrots)
Family	Asteraceae (Daisy Family)	Psittacidae (True Parrots)
Genus	Acanthospermum	Ara (Macaws)
Species	Acanthospermum hispidum	Ara macao

Conservation Status

Hispid starbur

NE — Not Evaluated

Scarlet Macaw

LC — Least Concern

Population: ~50.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Hispid starbur

Habitat

Inhabits flooded grasslands and savannas and deserts and xeric shrublands within the Afrotropic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (27 countries), Asia (11 countries), Europe (5 countries), North America (6 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia, Papua New Guinea), and South America (Brazil, Colombia).

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 5 countries:

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