Arctic Blue vs Mute Swan

Agriades aquilo compared with Cygnus olor

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Arctic Blue	Mute Swan
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	Cygnus
Species	Agriades aquilo	Cygnus olor

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Arctic Blue

NT — Near Threatened

Mute Swan

NT — Near Threatened

Population: ~600.0K

Trend: Increasing ↑

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Arctic Blue	Mute Swan
Diet	—	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	—	20 years
Average Length	—	1.5 m
Average Weight	—	12.0 kg

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.

Mute Swan

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, tundra, and tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, among 8 distinct biome types.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Asia (4 countries), Europe (24 countries), North America (Canada, Dominican Republic, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (New Zealand), and South America (Colombia, Peru). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

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.

Mute Swan

The most commonly encountered swan globally and one of the largest flying birds, mute swans weigh up to 15 kg and inhabit lakes, rivers, and coastal bays across Europe and Asia, with widespread introduced populations in North America and Australia. Despite their name, mute swans produce a range of hissing, grunting, and wing-whistling sounds. Males aggressively defend territories and are capable of injuring humans and drowning dogs with powerful wing strikes.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden