Scarlet Macaw vs White Lauan

Ara macao compared with Parashorea macrophylla

Key Differences

• Scarlet Macaw is Least Concern while White Lauan is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Scarlet Macaw	White Lauan
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Psittaciformes (Parrots)	Malvales (Malvales)
Family	Psittacidae (True Parrots)	Dipterocarpaceae
Genus	Ara (Macaws)	Parashorea
Species	Ara macao	Parashorea macrophylla

Conservation Status

Scarlet Macaw

LC — Least Concern

Population: ~50.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

White Lauan

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Scarlet Macaw	White Lauan
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.

White Lauan

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

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.