Scarlet Macaw vs Shellplant

Ara macao compared with Alpinia zerumbet

Key Differences

Scarlet Macaw is Least Concern while Shellplant is Data Deficient.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Scarlet Macaw	Shellplant
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Liliopsida (Monocots)
Order	Psittaciformes (Parrots)	Zingiberales (Zingiberales)
Family	Psittacidae (True Parrots)	Zingiberaceae
Genus	Ara (Macaws)	Alpinia
Species	Ara macao	Alpinia zerumbet

Conservation Status

Scarlet Macaw

LC — Least Concern

Population: ~50.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Shellplant

DD — Data Deficient

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic 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.

Shellplant

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, deserts and xeric shrublands, and tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, among 7 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (4 countries), Asia (Taiwan), Europe (Portugal, Spain), North America (Cuba, Nicaragua, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (5 countries), and South America (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador).

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.