American Kestrel vs small tortoiseshell

Falco sparverius compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

American Kestrel is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	American Kestrel	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Falconiformes (Falconiformes)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Falconidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Falco	Aglais
Species	Falco sparverius	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

American Kestrel and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

View Kingdom: Animalia

Conservation Status

American Kestrel

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	American Kestrel	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

American Kestrel

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (6 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela).

small tortoiseshell

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Europe (41 countries). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

American Kestrel

American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) 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.

small tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae) is classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List. Close to qualifying as threatened, with populations that may become vulnerable without conservation action.