Scaly-naped Parrot / Scaly-naped Amazon vs Scarlet Macaw

Amazona mercenaria compared with Ara macao

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Scaly-naped Parrot / Scaly-naped Amazon	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	Amazona	Ara (Macaws)
Species	Amazona mercenaria	Ara macao

Evolutionary Relationship

Scaly-naped Parrot / Scaly-naped Amazon and Scarlet Macaw share a common ancestor at the Family level: Psittacidae. (True Parrots)

Conservation Status

Scaly-naped Parrot / Scaly-naped Amazon

LC — Least Concern

Scarlet Macaw

LC — Least Concern

Population: ~50.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Scaly-naped Parrot / Scaly-naped Amazon	Scarlet Macaw
Diet	—	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	—	50 years
Average Length	—	85 cm
Average Weight	—	1.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Scaly-naped Parrot / Scaly-naped Amazon

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, and Venezuela.

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.

Scaly-naped Parrot / Scaly-naped Amazon

A large, predominantly green amazon parrot with distinctive dark-scaled nape feathers and a patch of red on the wing, scaly-naped amazons inhabit humid montane forests of the northern and central Andes in Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Peru at elevations of 600–3,000 meters. Relatively little known compared to other amazons, they are found in pairs or small flocks feeding on seeds, fruit, and flowers in cloud forest. Listed as Least Concern.

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