Scarlet Macaw vs Streamside Swordfern

Ara macao compared with Nephrolepis rivularis

Key Differences

Scarlet Macaw is Least Concern while Streamside Swordfern is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Scarlet Macaw	Streamside Swordfern
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Tracheophyta
Class	Aves (Birds)	Polypodiopsida (Polypodiopsida)
Order	Psittaciformes (Parrots)	Polypodiales (Polypodiales)
Family	Psittacidae (True Parrots)	Nephrolepidaceae
Genus	Ara (Macaws)	Nephrolepis
Species	Ara macao	Nephrolepis rivularis

Conservation Status

Scarlet Macaw

LC — Least Concern

Population: ~50.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Streamside Swordfern

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Scarlet Macaw	Streamside Swordfern
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.

Streamside Swordfern

Habitat

Typically found in moist, shaded forest floors and tropical canopies.

Range

Distributed across Brazil, Colombia, and Cuba.

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.