Rusty-faced Parrot vs Scarlet Macaw

Hapalopsittaca amazonina compared with Ara macao

Key Differences

• Rusty-faced Parrot is Endangered while Scarlet Macaw is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Rusty-faced Parrot	Scarlet Macaw
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Aves (Birds)	Aves (Birds)
Order same	Psittaciformes (Parrots)	Psittaciformes (Parrots)
Family same	Psittacidae (True Parrots)	Psittacidae (True Parrots)
Genus	Hapalopsittaca	Ara (Macaws)
Species	Hapalopsittaca amazonina	Ara macao

Evolutionary Relationship

Rusty-faced Parrot and Scarlet Macaw share a common ancestor at the Family level: Psittacidae. (True Parrots)

Conservation Status

Rusty-faced Parrot

EN — Endangered

Scarlet Macaw

LC — Least Concern

Population: ~50.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Rusty-faced Parrot

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, and Venezuela. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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.

Rusty-faced Parrot

A medium-sized parrot of the high-altitude cloud forests and Andean slopes of Colombia and Venezuela, rusty-faced parrots have green plumage with a distinctive orange-rufous face and forehead. They inhabit humid mountain forests between 1,500–3,000 meters and are little studied due to their remote, steep habitat. Listed as Vulnerable due to ongoing deforestation of Andean cloud forests. They move seasonally with food availability across forested ridges.

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 4 countries:

🇨🇴 Colombia 🇪🇨 Ecuador 🇳🇴 Norway 🇻🇪 Venezuela