CreatureData

Scarlet macaw

Ara macao (Linnaeus, 1758)

LCLeast Concernparrots

The scarlet macaw (Ara macao) is a species in the family Psittacidae, order Psittaciformes. It has been recorded in 46 countries, most often in Costa Rica, Peru and Brazil. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Scarlet macaw (Ara macao)
Photo: Charles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the scarlet macaw

Weight
Not recorded
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Main food
fruit, nut, seed, flower, nectarsrc for Main food
Habitat
Not recorded
Egg incubation
26 dayssrc for Egg incubation
Young per litter or clutch
2src for Young per litter or clutch
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Recorded in
46 countriessrc for Recorded in

Photos of the scarlet macaw

Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.

Where does the scarlet macaw live?

Countries with openly licensed sighting records on GBIF. This shows where the species has been recorded, including zoos and introduced populations. It is not a definitive range.

The scarlet macaw has been recorded in 46 countries, from 123,202 records.

Canada: 4 recordsUnited States of America: 57 recordsArgentina: 2 recordsMexico: 172 recordsBrazil: 8,784 recordsBolivia: 454 recordsPeru: 12,399 recordsColombia: 8,542 recordsPanama: 604 recordsCosta Rica: 82,565 recordsNicaragua: 16 recordsHonduras: 18 recordsEl Salvador: 8 recordsGuatemala: 22 recordsBelize: 27 recordsVenezuela: 1,662 recordsGuyana: 1,436 recordsSuriname: 382 recordsFrance: 5 recordsEcuador: 5,232 recordsPuerto Rico: 5 recordsThailand: 1 recordVietnam: 2 recordsIndia: 5 recordsGermany: 8 recordsBulgaria: 1 recordBelgium: 2 recordsNetherlands: 8 recordsPortugal: 2 recordsSpain: 1 recordAustralia: 5 recordsTaiwan: 3 recordsDenmark: 1 recordMalaysia: 2 recordsFinland: 2 recordsJapan: 8 recordsTrinidad and Tobago: 5 records
  • None on record
  • 1–9
  • 10–99
  • 100–999
  • 1,000+
records per country · small islands are not drawn at this scale

The same figures as a list, most records first

  1. Costa Rica82,565
  2. Peru12,399
  3. Brazil8,784
  4. Colombia8,542
  5. Ecuador5,232
  6. Venezuela1,662
  7. Guyana1,436
  8. French Guiana737
  9. Panama604
  10. Bolivia454
  11. Suriname382
  12. Mexico172
  13. United States57
  14. Belize27
  15. Guatemala22
  16. Honduras18
  17. Nicaragua16
  18. Germany8
  19. Japan8
  20. Netherlands8
  21. El Salvador8
  22. Australia5
  23. France5
  24. India5
  25. Puerto Rico5
  26. Trinidad & Tobago5
  27. Canada4
  28. Maldives4
  29. Guadeloupe3
  30. Taiwan3
  31. Argentina2
  32. Belgium2
  33. Finland2
  34. Malaysia2
  35. Portugal2
  36. Vietnam2
  37. Antigua & Barbuda1
  38. Bulgaria1
  39. St. Barthélemy1
  40. Curaçao1
Show 6 more countries
  1. Denmark1
  2. Spain1
  3. Grenada1
  4. Cayman Islands1
  5. Sint Maarten1
  6. Thailand1

What is the scarlet macaw?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The scarlet macaw (Ara macao) also called the red-and-yellow macaw, red-and-blue macaw or red-breasted macaw, is a large yellow, green, red and blue Neotropical parrot native to humid evergreen forests of the Americas. Its range extends from southeastern Mexico to Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia, Venezuela, Honduras, and Brazil in lowlands of 500 m (1,600 ft) (at least formerly) up to 1,000 m (3,300 ft), the Caribbean island of Trinidad, as well as the Pacific island of Coiba. Formerly, the northern extent of its range included southern Tamaulipas. In some areas, it has suffered local extinction because of habitat destruction, or capture for the parrot trade, but in other areas, it remains fairly common. It is the national bird of Honduras. Like its relative the blue-and-yellow macaw, the scarlet macaw is a popular bird in aviculture as a result of its striking plumage. It is the third most common macaw species in captivity after the blue-and-yellow and red-and-green macaw respectively. In recent years it has become much rarer in captivity and much more expensive due to stricter laws, its price being higher than even red-and-green macaws.

Wikipedia contributors, “Scarlet macaw”, Wikipedia (revision 1382309503), retrieved 2026-11-11. Shared under CC BY-SA 4.0; this block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the scarlet macaw endangered?

The scarlet macaw is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the scarlet macaw classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPsittaciformes
  5. familyPsittacidae
  6. genusAra
  7. SpeciesAra macao (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms Psittacus macao

Names in other languages (13)
  • hellroter AraGerman
  • AraracangaPortuguese
  • GeelvleugelaraDutch
  • Röd araSwedish
  • コンゴウインコJapanese
  • 緋紅金剛鸚鵡Chinese
  • مقو قرمزيArabic
  • Красный араRussian
  • Guacamayo macaoSpanish
  • ScharlacharaGerman
  • Ara rougeFrench
  • Ara scarlattaItalian
  • arara-escarlatePortuguese

GBIFWikidataWikipediaNCBI TaxonomyITISEncyclopedia of LifeiNaturalist

Relatives of the scarlet macaw

Other species in the same class Aves.

LC, Least Concern
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)

Mallard

Anas platyrhynchos

Anatidae

LC, Least Concern
Bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

Bald eagle

Haliaeetus leucocephalus

Accipitridae

CompareScarlet macaw vs MallardScarlet macaw vs European robinScarlet macaw vs Bald eagleScarlet macaw vs Peregrine falcon

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

Where does the scarlet macaw live?

The scarlet macaw has openly licensed sighting records from 46 countries on GBIF. The most records come from Costa Rica, Peru, Brazil, Colombia and Ecuador. These are recorded sightings, not a definitive range.

Is the scarlet macaw endangered?

The scarlet macaw is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

What does the scarlet macaw eat?

Its recorded main food is fruit, nut, seed, flower and nectar.

What kind of animal is the scarlet macaw?

The scarlet macaw (Ara macao) belongs to the family Psittacidae in the order Psittaciformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

Embed a card for this animal on your own site

Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.

Preview the card

APA

CreatureData. (2026). Scarlet macaw (Ara macao). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/scarlet-macaw

MLA

“Scarlet macaw (Ara macao).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/scarlet-macaw.

BibTeX
@misc{scarlet_macaw_2026,
  title = {Scarlet macaw (Ara macao)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/scarlet-macaw},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}