Common corncockle vs Scaly-naped Parrot / Scaly-naped Amazon

Agrostemma githago compared with Amazona mercenaria

Key Differences

Common corncockle is Critically Endangered while Scaly-naped Parrot / Scaly-naped Amazon is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common corncockle	Scaly-naped Parrot / Scaly-naped Amazon
Kingdom	Plantae (พืช)	Animalia (สัตว์)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (สัตว์มีแกนสันหลัง)
Class	Magnoliopsida (พืชใบเลี้ยงคู่)	Aves (นก)
Order	Caryophyllales (อันดับคาร์เนชัน)	Psittaciformes (อันดับนกแก้ว)
Family	Caryophyllaceae	Psittacidae (True Parrots)
Genus	Agrostemma	Amazona
Species	Agrostemma githago	Amazona mercenaria

Conservation Status

Common corncockle

CR — Critically Endangered

Scaly-naped Parrot / Scaly-naped Amazon

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common corncockle	Scaly-naped Parrot / Scaly-naped Amazon
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common corncockle

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including montane grasslands and shrublands, tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, and temperate coniferous forests, among 13 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Lesotho), Asia (7 countries), Europe (24 countries), North America (Canada, Mexico, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia), and South America (Brazil, Chile). Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Scaly-naped Parrot / Scaly-naped Amazon

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, and Venezuela.

Common corncockle

<em>Agrostemma githago</em>, commonly known as common corncockle, is an annual flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae. Once a widespread weed of cereal crops across Europe, Asia, and beyond, this species is now Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List due to the dramatic decline caused by modern agricultural practices, particularly improved grain cleaning and herbicide use. Corncockle is a tall, slender plant covered in silky white hairs, bearing large, solitary pink to purple flowers with distinctive dark veining. Its seeds contain toxic saponin compounds called githagins, which historically contaminated grain supplies. The species now survives primarily in wildflower conservation areas, seed banks, and traditional farmland conservation schemes. It typically grows in open, disturbed arable soils with full sun exposure. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.

Scaly-naped Parrot / Scaly-naped Amazon

A large, predominantly green amazon parrot with distinctive dark-scaled nape feathers and a patch of red on the wing, scaly-naped amazons inhabit humid montane forests of the northern and central Andes in Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Peru at elevations of 600–3,000 meters. Relatively little known compared to other amazons, they are found in pairs or small flocks feeding on seeds, fruit, and flowers in cloud forest. Listed as Least Concern.