Bad-smelling Alkanet vs Scharlachara

Alkanna maleolens compared with Ara macao

Key Differences

• Bad-smelling Alkanet is Critically Endangered while Scharlachara is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bad-smelling Alkanet	Scharlachara
Kingdom	Plantae (Pflanzen)	Animalia (Tier)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordatiere)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Aves (Vögel)
Order	Boraginales (Boraginales)	Psittaciformes (Papageien)
Family	Boraginaceae	Psittacidae (True Parrots)
Genus	Alkanna	Ara (Macaws)
Species	Alkanna maleolens	Ara macao

Conservation Status

Bad-smelling Alkanet

CR — Critically Endangered

Scharlachara

LC — Least Concern

Population: ~50.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bad-smelling Alkanet	Scharlachara
Diet	—	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	—	50 years
Average Length	—	85 cm
Average Weight	—	1.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Bad-smelling Alkanet

Habitat

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

Scharlachara

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.

Bad-smelling Alkanet

The Bad-smelling Alkanet (Alkanna maleolens) is a species in the genus Alkanna. It is currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Scharlachara

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.