vs Scarlet Macaw

Nostoc sphaericum compared with Ara macao

Key Differences

• is Not Evaluated while Scarlet Macaw is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank		Scarlet Macaw
Kingdom	Bacteria (Bacteria)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Cyanobacteria (Cyanobacteria)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Cyanobacteriia	Aves (Birds)
Order	Cyanobacteriales	Psittaciformes (Parrots)
Family	Nostocaceae	Psittacidae (True Parrots)
Genus	Nostoc	Ara (Macaws)
Species	Nostoc sphaericum	Ara macao

Conservation Status

NE — Not Evaluated

Scarlet Macaw

LC — Least Concern

Population: ~50.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Norway 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.

Nostoc sphaericum is a colonial, nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium in the family Nostocaceae, forming gelatinous spherical or irregular colonies visible to the naked eye. It inhabits moist soils, rocks, and freshwater environments, often forming conspicuous blobs after rainfall.

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