Atlantic White Cedar vs clouded magpie

Chamaecyparis thyoides compared with Abraxas sylvata

Key Differences

Atlantic White Cedar is Least Concern while clouded magpie is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Atlantic White Cedar	clouded magpie
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Coniferophyta (Conifers)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Pinopsida (Conifers)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Pinales (Pines & Allies)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Cupressaceae	Geometridae
Genus	Chamaecyparis	Abraxas
Species	Chamaecyparis thyoides	Abraxas sylvata

Conservation Status

Atlantic White Cedar

LC — Least Concern

clouded magpie

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Atlantic White Cedar	clouded magpie
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Atlantic White Cedar

Habitat

Typically found in temperate and boreal forests, often at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Armenia), Europe (4 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia), and South America (Brazil).

clouded magpie

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Atlantic White Cedar

The Atlantic White Cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides) is a species in the genus Chamaecyparis. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in temperate and boreal forests, often at higher elevations.

clouded magpie

The clouded magpie (Abraxas sylvata) is a geometrid moth in the family Geometridae found across temperate Europe, extending eastward through Russia to Japan. The adult wingspan measures approximately 32–42 mm, with white wings bearing a distinctive pattern of yellow-orange and dark grey to black spots and patches arranged in rows across the forewing and hindwing, creating a striking patterned appearance resembling the magpie coloring of the related magpie moth Abraxas grossulariata, but with a more yellowish, muted tone and less black — hence 'clouded.' Adults fly in one generation from June to July, resting on leaf surfaces and attending woodland flowers for nectar. The larvae feed on wych elm (Ulmus glabra) and occasionally other Ulmus species in mature deciduous woodland and woodland edges. The clouded magpie has become less common in parts of its European range due to the widespread loss of mature elms from Dutch elm disease, which devastated European elm populations from the 1970s onward. Conservation of this species requires the protection of surviving mature elm trees and management of regrowth elms in woodland ecosystems.