Scarlet Macaw vs Short-toed Snake-Eagle

Ara macao compared with Circaetus gallicus

Key Differences

Scarlet Macaw is Least Concern while Short-toed Snake-Eagle is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Scarlet Macaw	Short-toed Snake-Eagle
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Aves (Birds)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Psittaciformes (Parrots)	Accipitriformes (Hawks & Eagles)
Family	Psittacidae (True Parrots)	Accipitridae (Hawks & Eagles)
Genus	Ara (Macaws)	Circaetus
Species	Ara macao	Circaetus gallicus

Evolutionary Relationship

Scarlet Macaw and Short-toed Snake-Eagle share a common ancestor at the Class level: Aves. (Birds)

View Class: Aves

Conservation Status

Scarlet Macaw

LC — Least Concern

Population: ~50.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Short-toed Snake-Eagle

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Scarlet Macaw	Short-toed Snake-Eagle
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.

Short-toed Snake-Eagle

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Ukraine.

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.