Красный ара vs small tortoiseshell

Ara macao compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Красный ара is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Красный ара	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (животные)	Animalia (животные)
Phylum	Chordata (хордовые)	Arthropoda (членистоногие)
Class	Aves (птицы)	Insecta (насекомые)
Order	Psittaciformes (попугаеобразные)	Lepidoptera (чешуекрылые)
Family	Psittacidae (True Parrots)	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Ara (Macaws)	Aglais
Species	Ara macao	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

Красный ара and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (животные)

Conservation Status

Красный ара

LC — Least Concern

Population: ~50.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Красный ара	small tortoiseshell
Diet	Herbivore	—
Average Lifespan	50 years	—
Average Length	85 cm	—
Average Weight	1.0 kg	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Красный ара

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 tortoiseshell

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Europe (41 countries). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Красный ара

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.

small tortoiseshell

small tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae) is classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List. Close to qualifying as threatened, with populations that may become vulnerable without conservation action.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 5 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇫🇷 France 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇳🇴 Norway 🇬🇧 United Kingdom