Mountain Clouded Yellow vs Scarlet Macaw

Colias phicomone compared with Ara macao

Key Differences

• Mountain Clouded Yellow is Near Threatened while Scarlet Macaw is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Mountain Clouded Yellow	Scarlet Macaw
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Psittaciformes (Parrots)
Family	Pieridae	Psittacidae (True Parrots)
Genus	Colias	Ara (Macaws)
Species	Colias phicomone	Ara macao

Evolutionary Relationship

Mountain Clouded Yellow and Scarlet Macaw share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Mountain Clouded Yellow

NT — Near Threatened

Scarlet Macaw

LC — Least Concern

Population: ~50.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Mountain Clouded Yellow	Scarlet Macaw
Diet	—	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	—	50 years
Average Length	—	85 cm
Average Weight	—	1.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Mountain Clouded Yellow

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Europe (10 countries). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

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:

🇫🇷 France