Azure Roller vs clouded magpie

Eurystomus azureus compared with Abraxas sylvata

Key Differences

  • Azure Roller is Near Threatened while clouded magpie is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank Azure Roller clouded magpie
Kingdom same Animalia (Animals) Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Chordata (Chordates) Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class Aves (Birds) Insecta (Insects)
Order Coraciiformes (Coraciiformes) Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family Coraciidae Geometridae
Genus Eurystomus Abraxas
Species Eurystomus azureus Abraxas sylvata

Evolutionary Relationship

Azure Roller and clouded magpie share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Azure Roller

NT — Near Threatened

clouded magpie

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute Azure Roller clouded magpie
Diet
Average Lifespan
Average Length
Average Weight

Habitat & Geographic Range

Azure Roller

Habitat

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

Range

Found in Norway. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

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.

Azure Roller

The Azure Roller (Eurystomus azureus) is a species in the genus Eurystomus. It is currently classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

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