Azure Hawker vs small tortoiseshell

Aeshna caerulea compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Azure Hawker is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Azure Hawker	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Odonata (Odonata)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Aeshnidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Aeshna	Aglais
Species	Aeshna caerulea	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

Azure Hawker and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Class level: Insecta. (Insects)

Conservation Status

Azure Hawker

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Azure Hawker	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Azure Hawker

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Norway and Sweden.

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.

Azure Hawker

The Azure Hawker (Aeshna caerulea) is a species in the genus Aeshna. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

small tortoiseshell

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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden