Scarlet Macaw vs Silver Pheasant

Ara macao compared with Lophura nycthemera

Key Differences

• Scarlet Macaw is Least Concern while Silver Pheasant is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Scarlet Macaw	Silver Pheasant
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Aves (Birds)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Psittaciformes (Parrots)	Galliformes (Galliformes)
Family	Psittacidae (True Parrots)	Phasianidae
Genus	Ara (Macaws)	Lophura
Species	Ara macao	Lophura nycthemera

Evolutionary Relationship

Scarlet Macaw and Silver Pheasant share a common ancestor at the Class level: Aves. (Birds)

Conservation Status

Scarlet Macaw

LC — Least Concern

Population: ~50.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Silver Pheasant

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Scarlet Macaw	Silver Pheasant
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.

Silver Pheasant

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (10 countries), and South America (Argentina, 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.

Silver Pheasant

Silver Pheasant (Lophura nycthemera) is classified as Not Evaluated (NE) on the IUCN Red List. Not yet evaluated against IUCN Red List criteria. Conservation status remains to be determined.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 7 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇨🇴 Colombia 🇪🇨 Ecuador 🇫🇷 France 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇳🇴 Norway 🇬🇧 United Kingdom