Jointed Pricklypear vs Scarlet Macaw

Opuntia aurantiaca compared with Ara macao

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Jointed Pricklypear	Scarlet Macaw
Kingdom	Plantae (พืช)	Animalia (สัตว์)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (สัตว์มีแกนสันหลัง)
Class	Magnoliopsida (พืชใบเลี้ยงคู่)	Aves (นก)
Order	Caryophyllales (อันดับคาร์เนชัน)	Psittaciformes (อันดับนกแก้ว)
Family	Cactaceae	Psittacidae (True Parrots)
Genus	Opuntia	Ara (Macaws)
Species	Opuntia aurantiaca	Ara macao

Conservation Status

Jointed Pricklypear

LC — Least Concern

Scarlet Macaw

LC — Least Concern

Population: ~50.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Jointed Pricklypear	Scarlet Macaw
Diet	—	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	—	50 years
Average Length	—	85 cm
Average Weight	—	1.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Jointed Pricklypear

Habitat

Inhabits flooded grasslands and savannas and deserts and xeric shrublands within the Afrotropic biogeographic realm.

Range

Distributed across Australia, Eswatini, Jamaica, Namibia, and South Africa.

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.

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.