Scarlet Macaw vs Small-leaf spiderwort

Ara macao compared with Tradescantia fluminensis

Key Differences

Scarlet Macaw is Least Concern while Small-leaf spiderwort is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Scarlet Macaw	Small-leaf spiderwort
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Liliopsida (Monocots)
Order	Psittaciformes (Parrots)	Commelinales (Commelinales)
Family	Psittacidae (True Parrots)	Commelinaceae
Genus	Ara (Macaws)	Tradescantia
Species	Ara macao	Tradescantia fluminensis

Conservation Status

Scarlet Macaw

LC — Least Concern

Population: ~50.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Small-leaf spiderwort

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Scarlet Macaw	Small-leaf spiderwort
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.

Small-leaf spiderwort

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Eswatini, Kenya, South Africa), Asia (5 countries), Europe (13 countries), North America (United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia, New Zealand), and South America (5 countries).

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.