Arctic Blue vs Lesser Scaup

Agriades aquilo compared with Aythya affinis

Key Differences

• Arctic Blue is Near Threatened while Lesser Scaup is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Arctic Blue	Lesser Scaup
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Anseriformes (Anseriformes)
Family	Lycaenidae	Anatidae
Genus	Agriades	Aythya
Species	Agriades aquilo	Aythya affinis

Evolutionary Relationship

Arctic Blue and Lesser Scaup share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Arctic Blue

NT — Near Threatened

Lesser Scaup

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Arctic Blue	Lesser Scaup
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Arctic Blue

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Finland, Norway, Russia, and Sweden. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Lesser Scaup

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (4 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela).

Arctic Blue

The Arctic Blue (Agriades aquilo) is a species in the genus Agriades. It is currently classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Lesser Scaup

Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis) 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 2 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden