African Black Duck vs large tortoiseshell

Anas sparsa compared with Nymphalis polychloros

Key Differences

• African Black Duck is Least Concern while large tortoiseshell is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	African Black Duck	large tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Anseriformes (Anseriformes)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Anatidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Anas	Nymphalis
Species	Anas sparsa	Nymphalis polychloros

Evolutionary Relationship

African Black Duck and large tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

African Black Duck

LC — Least Concern

large tortoiseshell

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	African Black Duck	large tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

African Black Duck

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Belgium, France, Netherlands, Norway, and United Kingdom.

large tortoiseshell

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, temperate coniferous forests, and boreal forests and taiga, among 9 distinct biome types within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Found across Europe (39 countries). Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

African Black Duck

The African Black Duck (Anas sparsa) is a species in the genus Anas. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. This species inhabits Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments, found across Belgium, France, Netherlands, Norway, and United Kingdom.

large tortoiseshell

large tortoiseshell (Nymphalis polychloros) is classified as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List. Facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild due to severe population decline and habitat loss.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 5 countries:

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