Alder Spittlebug vs Merlin

Aphrophora alni compared with Falco columbarius

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Alder Spittlebug	Merlin
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Hemiptera (Hemiptera)	Falconiformes (Falconiformes)
Family	Aphrophoridae	Falconidae
Genus	Aphrophora	Falco
Species	Aphrophora alni	Falco columbarius

Evolutionary Relationship

Alder Spittlebug and Merlin share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Alder Spittlebug

LC — Least Concern

Merlin

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Alder Spittlebug	Merlin
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Alder Spittlebug

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Europe (5 countries) and North America (United States).

Merlin

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (5 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela).

Alder Spittlebug

The Alder Spittlebug (Aphrophora alni) is a species in the genus Aphrophora. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Merlin

Merlin (Falco columbarius) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 5 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇸 United States