Clover Dodder vs コンゴウインコ

Cuscuta epithymum compared with Ara macao

Key Differences

Clover Dodder is Endangered while コンゴウインコ is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Clover Dodder	コンゴウインコ
Kingdom	Plantae (植物)	Animalia (動物)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (被子植物門)	Chordata (脊索動物)
Class	Magnoliopsida (モクレン綱)	Aves (鳥類)
Order	Solanales (ナス目)	Psittaciformes (オウム目)
Family	Convolvulaceae	Psittacidae (True Parrots)
Genus	Cuscuta	Ara (Macaws)
Species	Cuscuta epithymum	Ara macao

Conservation Status

Clover Dodder

EN — Endangered

コンゴウインコ

LC — Least Concern

Population: ~50.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Clover Dodder	コンゴウインコ
Diet	—	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	—	50 years
Average Length	—	85 cm
Average Weight	—	1.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Clover Dodder

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, montane grasslands and shrublands, and Mediterranean forests and woodlands, among 8 distinct biome types spanning the Afrotropic and Neotropic and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Europe (9 countries), North America (Canada, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia), and South America (Argentina, Venezuela). Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

コンゴウインコ

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.

Clover Dodder

Clover dodder (Cuscuta epithymum) is a parasitic flowering plant in the family Convolvulaceae, a leafless, twining vine that obtains all its water and nutrients from host plants via haustoria — specialized penetrating organs that connect to host vascular tissue. The species is almost entirely dependent on its hosts throughout its life, with only brief photosynthetic activity during germination before establishing parasitic connections. C. epithymum parasitizes a wide range of host species including clover (Trifolium), gorse (Ulex), heathers (Erica, Calluna), thyme (Thymus), and other plants in open heathland, grassland, and scrub habitats. The stems are thread-like, yellowish-pink or reddish, and support clusters of small white to pale pink flowers. Originally widespread across Europe, Asia, North Africa, and the Americas, the species has declined significantly in many parts of its range due to agricultural intensification, herbicide application, grassland conversion, and loss of semi-natural heathlands. It is currently listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, reflecting population decline across its European core range. Conservation of C. epithymum requires the maintenance of unimproved, low-nutrient grasslands and heathlands that support its diverse host plant communities. The species is recorded from Africa, Europe, North America, Oceania, and South America, though populations in some regions represent introductions associated with contaminated legume seed lots.

コンゴウインコ

南北アメリカ大陸で最も鮮やかな色彩を誇る鳥の一つであるコンゴウインコ(Ara macao)は、鮮烈な赤・黄・青の羽毛と翼開長最大1メートルの大きな翼を持ちます。メキシコからボリビアにかけての湿潤な低地森林に生息し、高い知性を持ち、最長75年の長寿で生涯を通じてつがいを形成します。種子の毒素を無害化するためにミネラル豊富な土を摂取するクレイ・リックまで長距離を移動します。軽度懸念に指定されていますが、生息地の喪失とペット取引により地域的に脅威にさらされています。